History of the Caliphs

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History of the caliphs /

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HISTORY

OF THE CALIPHS

JALALU'DDIN A'S SUYTJTI,

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL ARABIC

BY MAJOR Hf SrjARRETT,

SECEETAEY AND MEMBER, BOAED OF EXAMINEES, FOET WILLIAM, FELLOW OF THE CALCrTTA TNITEESITY.

CALCUTTA

FEINTED BY J. W. THOMAS, BAPTIST MISSION PEESS. AND PUBLISHED BY THE

ASIATIC SOCIETY, 57, PARK STREET.

1881. ORNELL UNIVERSITY^ V LIBRARY X— •- INTRODUCTION.

Extensive as is the reputation of as Suydti as a distinguished author and scholar, and unsurpassed for the number and range of the works which in every branch of literature known to his age, his unwearied pen never ceased to produce, we are indebted to the malice or envy of but one of his contemporaries and to his own testimony, for the few details of his life and studies that we possess. Eeference to one or other of his multitudi- nous volumes is made by writers of his own and succeeding times where the kindred subject of which they treat naturally calls for it, but only one contemporary biographical notice of him besides his own, is extant. To these I shall presently refer.

Haji Khalifah, at the close of his Lexicon, gives a detailed list of as Suyuti's works, prefaced by a column of laudatory epithets which have less the ring of sincere admiration than of conventional panegyric, yet hia wonder or his envy might well oiFer the incense of adulation to the astonishing author of five hundred and four volumes. Kuranic exegesis,

Tradition and its cognate subjects, jurisprudence, philology, rhetoric, prose and poetical composition, the phenomena of nature, curiosities of literature, discourses on social questions, criticism, history, biography, all these were fields not too vast for his discursive intelligence and none too minute for his indefatigable industry. Some of his compositions are indeed, nothing more than pamphlets of smaller compass than many an article of a modern Eeview, but a considerable number, to judge from some of those, about one-fifth of the whole, that have come down to us, must have been of goodly bulk. It would doubtless have been better for his reputation as it would assuredly have been more profitable to the generality of his readers, had he confined his labours to the production of a few works of universal interest and written for posterity rather than for his day. By far the greater part of his writings were on subjects which have no interest to a European student. Two hundred and six works on Tradition and ninety-one on Jurisprudence would, it might be supposed, have been thoroughly exhaustive had not another line been previously written regarding them, yet this [ iv ] was the contribution of but one author to the store of countless volumes that had already preceded his labours and had been forgotten, to be followed by others as countless and as unreraembered. However much we may regret this misapplied diligence, the age in which as Suyuti lived, naturally moulded his literary tastes and influenced his course of study, and he but reflected its spirit in seeking pre-eminence among the scholarly and erudite of his nation after the manner in which they had attained it. Legal studies, inseparably connected as they are with the religion of the Moslems, were of the utmost consequence from the very infancy of Islam, and at a time when the Crescent waved from the pillars of Hercules to the steppes of Tartary, they formed a necessary part of the education of all cultured minds. Every Moslem author or nearly, every one with whom we are acquainted, was either a recognized doctor of jurisprudence or had studied it under some one of its famous masters. No college was founded but we read that its first chairs were those of Tradition and Law. Other branches of knowledge were indeed, far from neglected. Grammar, Medicine and the complicated problems of Inheritance were cultivated with assiduity and success, but with the exception of the first mentioned of this Eastern Trivium, which is rather an instrument of knowledge than an end in itself, they occupied, the second place. In the great Mustansiriyah College built on the eastern bank of the Tigris at Baghdad by the Caliph al Mustan^ir and endowed by his splendid munificence, provision was first made, as as Suyliti tells us, for Chairs of the four great Schools of Muhammadan law. The next was that of Tradition, the third of Grammar, followed by professorships of Medicine and the Law of Inheritance. De Slane in his Introduction to Ibn Khallikan's Biogra- phical Dictionary has described the system of education pursued during the times of which we write. The young student, he says, commenced his labours by learning the Kuran by heart, and as many of the traditions as he was able to acquire at his native place : to this he joined a slight acquaintance with grammar and some knowledge of poetry. On attaining the age of fourteen or sixteen, he began his travels and visited the great cities where he learnt traditions and received certificates of licence to relate them, from eminent traditionists. He then followed the courses of lectures held in the mosques or colleges, and generally attached himself to one of the professors. He there learnt by heart the most approved works on the dogmas of religion, and studied their commentaries under the tuition of his master. He acquired a knowledge of the different readings of the Kuran and of its orthodox interpretation, whilst he pursued the study of ancient poetry and philology, grammar and rhetoric. The second- ary points of jurisprudence, forming the doctrines of the school to which he belonged, next became the object of his study and an acquaintance with [ V ]

logic and dialectics completed his education. Having obtained from his professors, certificates of capacity and license to teach the works he had mastered, he was eligible for the posts of preacher, Kddhi, Mufti, Imam or professor.

Under a system so universal in its adoption and so rigidly upheld by learned opinion as the sole method of orthodox mental discipline, profitable as a means of worldly advancement as well as the most salutary for the

soul, it is not surprising that the literary efi'orts of as Suyuti should bear principally upon those studies to which such an exaggerated importance was attached by his age. Besides the treatises on Jurisprudence and Tradition already mentioned, his commentaries and writings on the Kuran number thirty-five. Philology, Grammar and Ehetoric claim sixty-three of his volumes. Seventy-six were his contribution to general literature, and thirty-three were devoted to history and biography. For this classi- fied list of his writings, we are indebted to his own autobiography in his

well-known work entitled Husn al Muhadhirah fi akhbar i'l Misr wa'l Kahirah (agreeable colloquy on Misr and Cairo'). This autobiography has been published with a Latin version by Albert Meursinge in the Prolegomena to his edition of as Suyuti's Tabakat u'l Mufassirin {Classes

of the Interpreters of the Kurdn). But as it is a work not easily accessible and no English translation of the original has as yet appeared I cannot

more fitly introduce the author to those interested in his life, than in his own words. " The author of this work," he writes, " is Abu'l Fadhl A'bdu'r Eahman-b-u'l Kamal Abu Bakr-b-Nasiri'ddin Muhammad-b-Sabiki'ddin Abi Bakr-b-Pakhr Othmau-b-Nasiriddin Muhammad-b-Sayfi'ddin Khidhr- b-Najmi'ddin Abi's Salah Ayyiib-b-Nasiri'ddin Muhammad-b-i's Shaykh Humami'ddin al Khudhayri al Usuyiiti.* In recording the narrative of my life in this book, I have but followed the example of recent writers, for it is rarely that any of them has published a history without introducing therein his own biography.f Eegarding my ancestor Humamu'ddin, I have to observe that he was one of the masters of the spiritual life and of the doctors of the mystics. Mention of him will follow in the section treating on the Sufis. The others who came after him were men of position and authority. Of these, one exercised judicial functions in his own city, another held the ofiice of inspector of markets, another accompanied the Amir ShaykhiiJ and

* The name is written TTsuyiiti or Suyuti indifferently. as irrelevant to the main t I here omit a list of authors and their works, subject of the writer's life. are furnished Weil. t See page 529. Further partioulais of him by Gesoh. Abb. Cal. Eg. pp. 475, 477, m- [ vi ] founded and endowed a college at Suyut ;* another was a wealthy merchant, but I know of none who altogether devoted himself to the acquisition of learning except my father, a notice of whom will occur in the section treating of the Sliafi'ite jurisconsults. As regards our connection with the name of Khudhayri, I do not know to what it can refer save the Khudhayri quarter of Baghdad, and in fact, a person whom I can implicitly trust, told me that he heard my father—may God have mercy on him—say, that his ancestor was a Persian or from the East. The connection therefore is apparently with the quarter above mentioned. I was born after sunset on Saturday night the 1st Bajab, 849 (3rd October, 1445), and I was carried, my father being then living, to the Shaykh Muhammad the recluse, a man eminent for sanctity, near the Nafisif tomb, who gave me his blessing. I grew up an orphan and I learnt the Kuran before I was eight years of age. I next got by-hearfc the U'mdah, the Minhaju'l Fikh wa'l Usdl and the Alfi'yah of Ibn Malik. From the beginning of year 64 I began to devote myself to learning. I studied jurisprudence and grammar under a number of doctors and read the law of inheritance with the learned and most distinguished professor of his age in that science, the Shaykh Shihabu'ddin as Sharimsahi who used to say that he had arrived at a great age and had passed a hundred by many years. God knows best. I read with him his commentary on the Majmliu'.J and received a certificate of licence to teach the Arabic language in the beginning of the year 66. In this year I became an author. The first work I composed was an exposition of the formula Alb ijJl § and 4U| *<~J which I submitted to my master the Shaykh u'l

Islam A'lamu'ddin al Bulkini|| who wrote to me in praise of it. I continued to study jurisprudence with him till his death. I also read with him from the beginning the Tadrib,^ by his father, up to the chapter on

• In Upper Egypt on the western hank of the Nile about 27° lat. Yakiit speaks of it as having contained 75 Christian churches and a large Christian population, t See Note J page 509.

I Al Majmuu' fi i'lm i'l Faraidh, by A'hdu'Uah Shamsu'ddin Muhammad-h-Sharaf al KilUi as Shafi'i : died 777 (1375). H. K. SilAi**! § My MS. has and omits the second word. The work referred to will be found in hia list under the first heading.

Abu'l BakS Salilj-b-0majr-b-Easl5n II A'lam u'ddin al Bulklni was bom 791 (1388) and died 868 (1463). Meurs. He was named BuDjini after Bulkinah in Egypt in the district of Hauf. H gA^I tjS* Vi)-^ (Exeroitatua de partibua juris speoiaUbus) auotore Sirdju'ddin Omar.b-Easlau Bolkeiui Shafi'ita, aimo 805 (1463) mortuo. H, K. [ ^ii ]

Procuration. I heard his lectures on the Hawi as Saghir* from the beginning, to the chapter de Statibus Mulieris ; and on the Minhaj from the beginning, to the chapter on the Poor-rate : and on the Tanbiht from its commencement nearly up to the chapter on the Poor-rate ; likewise a

portion of ar RaudhahJ from the chapter on the Judicial office : a portion

of the supplement to the commentary on the Minhaj by az Zarkashi ;§ and from the chapter on the Cultivation of Waste lands, to the chapter on Testaments or thereabouts. In the year 67 he granted me a license to teach jv/risprudence and to decide on eases proposed to me and was present at my inauguration. || When he died in the year 68, I resorted to the Shaykh u'l Islam Sharafu'ddin al Munawi^ and read with him a portion of the Minhaj. I heard his Expositions on Partition except a few lectures which I missed and I attended his readings from the commentary al Bahjah,** and its marginal notes by him, and from the commentary on the Kuraa by al Baydhawi. For traditions and the Arabic language, I read with our Shaykh the learned Imam Taki'uddin as Shumunni the Hanafite and continued with him for four years. He wrote to me in praise of two of my compositions, a commentary on the Alfiyah of Ibn Malik and the Jama'u'l Jawami'tt on the Arabic language, and he gave verbal and written testimony of my proficiency in the sciences on more than one occasion. He once acquiesced in my bare statement regarding a tradition, for verily he adduced in his marginal gloss on as Shifa,JJ the tradition of Abu'l Hamra on Captives and alleged its citation by Ibn Majah. I had

occasion to quote it with its ascriptions and I therefore searched Ibn

Majah in the place where it was supposed to be, but I did not find it.

Then I went through the whole book but did not light upon it. Suspect-

» See p. 514 t There are many works of thia name as well as that of Minhaj in H. K. ee H. K. t t'-'^^^ S?^ '^)J\ { See D'Herb. art. Zsrkeshi. Reference is made to this in the list of his works under the heading " Commen- II taries and works on the Kuran." U Abu Zakariya Yahya-h-Muhammad Sharafu'ddin al Munawi, died 871 (1466). Meurs. ** Al Bahjah al Wardiyah a commentary on the Hawi u's Saghir by Zaynu'ddin

Omar-b-Mudhaffar-b-i'l Wardi : died 749 (1348). H. K. sai^l ft Jr^^^i^ C*!*^-*) C*'?- by Taju'ddin A'bdu'l Wahab as SubH : died 771 (1369). H. K. ' _, ^*^' XI tf*^*'' l3>«^ "-^ir*^ <5** ty the Imam IJafidh Abu'l Fadhl I'yadh- b-Musa Yahsabi: died 544 (1149). H. K. notes on this book at some length and rnentions the gloss of as Shumunni. [ viii J

ing an oversight, I read it through a second time and again found it not.

I returned to it a third time but did not discover it. I saw it, however, in the Catalogue of the companions by Ibn Kani', upon which I went to the Shaykh and informed him. On hearing this from me, he at once took up his manuscript and taking a pen, he struct out the name of Ibn Majah and wrote Ibn Kani' in the margin. I was distressed at this and dis- mayed, on account of the great veneration in which I held the Shaykh, and the contemptuous opinion I had of myself and I said " will you not wait " a little, perhaps you may consult the work yourself ?" He replied : No, I relied for Ibn Majah on the authority of Burhan al Halabi." I did not quit the Shaykh until his death, when I attended our Shaykh the learned and most eminent master al Kafiaji* for fourteen years. I studied under him various branches of knowledge such as Kuranic exegesis, the fundamentals of doctrine, the Arabic language, rhetoric and others and he gave me a high diploma. I next attended many lectures of the Shaykh Sayfu'- ddin Hanafif on the Eashshaf,J on the Taudhih with his gloss thereon, the Talkhi's u'l Miftah and the A'dhud, and I began to write works in the year 66. My writings up to this time numbered 300 works exclusive of those I obliterated and left unfinished, and they penetrated, praise be to God, the countries of Syria, Hijaz, Yaman, India, Mauritania and Takrur.§ When I made the pilgrimage, I drank of the water of the well

Zemzem with various intentions : among others that I should arrive in Jurisprudence to the eminence of Shaykh Siraju'ddin al Bulkini, and in Tradition to the distinction of the Hafidh Ibn Hajr. From the beginning of the year 71 I gave decisions on points of law and I employed myself in writing traditions from the beginning of the year 72. I acquired a profound knowledge of the seven sciences of Exegesis, Tradition, Jurisprudence, Grammar and the three branches of Ehetoric after the manner of the Arabs and the rhetoricians, and not after the fashion of the Persians and philo- sophers. What I am conscious of is this, that the proficiency I attained in these six sciences (save jurisprudence) and the writings thereon which I perused, none of my Shaykhs ever reached therein nor were therewith

A*J=* * So Meurs. points tlie name Or*i t£>^.=^l in'*^*' lirf J t**^*^' S?'^-^* Kib ^a-UjJ -born 790, died 879. According to the Lubbu'l Lubab his name refers

I4J 1=^1 &S\j3\j «3|y xJSJ ( I. c_K=.ls-'| ) ^^, «Jl^ ^Jl. t Mnhammad-b-Muhammad-b-Omar-b-^etlu Bogha al Yektamri, died in 881, As Suyuti wrote an elegy on Mm recorded in the Husn al Muhddh. Meurs. X The famous commentary of Zamakhshari. The Talkhi's is a work on rhetoric by Kazwini. H. E. mentions several Tau^lhilj. The A'dhud is a work on grammar by Abu A'li al Farisi composed for A'dhud u'd Dawlah. H. K. § In the extreme south of al Maghrab, aeoording to Ya^tit, probably in the 6aud£u. [ ix ]

acquainted, still less those inferior to them I do not say the same, by Allah, of jurisprudence, for my Shaykh has a deeper insight and a larger grasp of the subject. After these seven branches of knowledge comes in a lower degree my acquaintance with the fundamentals of jurisprudence, with dialectics and grammatical inflexions. Below this, composition and epistolary style and the law of inheritance. Below this, the various readings of the Kuran which I did not study under any Shaykh* and next Me- dicine, but Arithmetic I found the most difficult to me and the most remote from my inclination, and when I apply myself to a question appertaining thereto, it is as though I strove to support a mountain. I have now completely acquired, praise be to the Most High, the means of diligently investigating and determining cases referred to me. I say this in acknowledgement of the favour of God and not in vain-glory, for what is the world that one should strive to gain it in glorying, now that the

time of departure from it is approaching, and hoariness hath begun, and

the best part of life hath passed. And now if I wished to write on every question, a dissertation with its statements and proofs, whether cited or reasoned from analogy, the perceptions of it by the mind, its refutations and vindications, and a comparison between the contrary opinions held

regarding it, I should be able to do so by the grace of the Most High, and through Him, not of my own strength and ability, for there is no power or virtue but in God. Whatever God willeth, there is no power to accomplish it save in God Himself. At the commencement of my studies, I read somewhat of the science of logic, but subsequently the Lord put a dislike of it into my heart, and hearing that Ibn u's Salahf had decided a reference to him on the subject

by interdicting it, I abandoned it for that reason, and the Lord supplied its place to me with the science of tradition which is the noblest of all studies. As for my Shaykhs in the relation of traditions whom I heard, or from whom I received certificates of licence, they were numerous. I have adduced them in my CatalogueJ to the number of about 150. I did not however, devote myself much to the hearing of traditions as I was employ, ed on what was of more importance, vig., the study of their critical examination." "With these words concludes the autobiography which is followed by the only other a catalogue of the author's works. I have now to notice have already alluded. memoir of him which we possess, and to which I Muhammad-b-Abdi'r fiahman- This is furnished to us by his contemporary

in Meursinge, but not in my MS. * i^i-" t>* ^ "^^ (^ ) tliese words axe t See page 431. called the Greater and the Lesser Mua'jam which are t There are two of these, given in his list of worlis. :

[ ^ ] b-Muhammad Shamsu'ddin as Sakhdwi, and is given by Meursinge in his Prolegomena and translated by him into Latin. This fragment, he states) is taken from the Leyden Codex 518. {Catal JST. 1876.) entitled j/o3U| ^^J| j^ gJlk/tj^*J| (Luna oriens ex Itmiine miea/nte) by Ahmad-b-

Abdi's Salam Kadhi of Maniif . It contains an excerpt of the principal work of as Sakhawi called £«t-i^l ej/' cl*JI g*^l 5'*'' {lumen micant hominibus stBculi noni) and gives amongst the celebrities of that age, the following notice of as Suyiiti " He was born on the first night of the month of Eajab 849, his mother being a Turkish slave, and he was reared an orphan. He learnt by-hearfc the Kuran, the U'mdah, the Minhaj both the section on the derivative and part of the fundamental principles, and the Alfi'yah on grammar. Having proved his capacity in the year 64, he studied grammar under Shamsu'ddin Muhammad-b-Mlisa al Hanafi Imam of the Shaykhuniyah College, and under al Fakhr Othman al Maksi,* as Shams al Bami,t Ibn u'l Falati.f Ibn Tusuf one of tjie most eminent doctors of the Shaykhuniyah, al Burhan al A'jluni, and according to some, under an Nua'mani, with some of them, jurisprudence, with some, grammar. He progressed until he read some works on jurisprudence under al A'lam al Bulkini. He then read with al Munawi for a very short time who gave him a lesson in good manners when, pained at his taking a seat at the head of the assembly, he said, " when we were young, we never sat save behind the circle of distinguished personages such as these." On this he broke ofE§ from him and read altogether with as Sayfu'ddin, as Shumunni and al Kafiyaji the Hanafites, somewhat of the sciences, and also, as he asserts, with as Shihab as Sharimsahi a part of his commentary on the Maj-

mdu' of al Kallai : likewise under al I'zz al Mikati his treatise on the Mikat,|| and under Muhammad-b- Ibrahim as Sharwani ar Riimi^ the phy-

* Othmau-b-A'tdi'llah-b-Othmfin al Fakhr Abu A'mr al Maksi bom 818 (1416), died 877 (1472). Maks is a village on the Nile adjacent to, Cairo. t Mutammad-b-Abmad as Shams al Bami, born 820 (1417) died 885 (1480). Meurs.

t Muhammad-b-A'li al Ku?i as Shafi'i, born 824, died 870. Ibid. I do not § follow Meursinge in his translation of ^^^—"turn vero totum se Bcientiis vovit." This form of the verb bears the meaning of devoting one's self to a thing, but the object is not mentioned and the ordinary signification of the word is here most applicable. The preceding passage is also misunderstood. The speaker is al Munawi not as Suydti.

The Mikat is II an appointed place of rendezvous for pilgrims proceeding to Mecca where they first enter into the state of Ihrdm or prohibition from lawful acts which are at that period unlawful. These stations wiU be found mentioned in the JAmi' Eumtizby Shamsu'ddin Muhammad al Kohistdni. Meursinge's translation of Mi^at " horologia" is quite imtenable. ir Bom 778 (1376), died 873 (1468). Meurs. [ xl ]

Bicia,n at Cairo, two abridgments on medicine by Ibn u'l Jamaa'h,* and under al I'zz al Hanbali some studies in the fundamental principles of jurisprudence from the Jama' u'l Jawami.' Here ends what he asserts to have done. He attached himself to me for some time and wrote to me in a long prose epistle the following words, " and verily we presented ourselves uninvited to the feast of his comprehensive bounty, and we made the camel of our affliction kneel in the. spacious courtyard of his affluence."t Moreover he praised me on other occasions in verse and prose as I have elsewhere shown. In the same way, for a very short period he frequented the lectures of az Zayn Kasim al Hanafi and al Bikai'i. He also practised himself in poetry under as Shihab al Mansuri,J and he heard traditions from the compilers of tradition then living such as al Kammasi, al Hijdzi, as Shawi, al Muktumi Nashwan and Hajir, and some doctors of Aleppo gave him certificates of licence to relate traditions, among them Ibn Mukbil. The last who gave him a certificate was as Salah-b-Abi Omar, but nevertheless he had made no profound study of all that I have alluded to. He then travelled to Fayyiim, Damietta, al Mahallah and other places and took down in writing what he had heard from those who professed versification, as al Muliyi'd- din-b-Saki'yah and al A'la-b-u'l Janadi al Hanafi. Thence to Mecca by sea in Kabii' II, 69 and studied a little under al Muhyi'ddin A'bdu'I Kadir al Maliki and profited by the assistance of our friend Ibn Fadhl§ among others, and more than one granted him a licence to teach and instruct. Al A'lam al Bulki'ni granted him his encouragement until he obtained the chair of jurisprudence in the Shaykhiiniyah mosque which had come down to him from his father and was present with him at some conferences therein. aloof airs Then he held himself || and affected the of a Shaykh and applied himself to the sciences suitable to that profession. Moreover at the time when he used constantly to visit me, he carried off many of

&i.sa^)\ - my compositions such as J^«aLJ JLai^i &jf^iJf U« J/j

^ijJ( j^JLe !s^«aJ| . UjKi ui

* I'zzu'ddin Mul^ammad-b-Sharafu'ddin Abi Bakr, bom 759 (1358), died 819 (1416). IMd. t As Suyuti means to say that he owed much of solace in his toil to the bounty of as Sakhawi. Meurs. t Ahmad-h-Muhammad, horn 798, died 887. as Sunniyah { The Hafidh, author of a work entitled Durrar wa Bahiyah, a treatise on Muhammadau law, composed 865 A. H. D'Herh.

Meursinge does not find the 7th form this verb C*^' and translates it II

'omnes ooUegit vires suas.' Lane gives the form and example u»WI w* £*^l 'he withdrew himself from men,' [ xii ] from the books of the MuljmMi'yah College and elsewhere, many ancient compositions which were unknown to many of his contemporaries, on various sciences, altered them slightly, transposed them and gave them out as his own, and prefaced them with pretentious introductions from which the unlearned reader might expect much, but not a part of which of the was fulfilled. The first he produced was a paper on the interdiction science of logic which he had extracted from a work of Ibn Taymiyah and in the greater part of it he was indebted to my assistance. Upon this many eminent scholars opposed him and even al A'lam al Bulkini rejected him and took from him what he had dictated to him in his lectures on this question, and had it not been for my good offices with a number of these, such as al Anbasi,* Ibn u'l Falati and Ibn Kasim,t the result would have been disastrous. He also lectured to a number of the common people in the mosque of

Ahmad-b-Tdlun ; moreover he acquired a predominancej over some who were themselves good for nothing, so that this was the means of his being favoured by his executor Shihab-u'ddin-b-u't Tabbakh who provided for his being brought up under Barsabai§ Comptroller of the Household. After this he attached himself to Inal al Ashkar, president of the order II of prefects^ until that personage appointed him professor of tradition in the Shaykhuniyah College after the death of the Shaykh Othman al Maksi, notwithstanding he had left a son. He was also appointed to the post of lecturer on the Sahihayn of al Buhhdri and Muslim although he was unable to fulfil the condition attached to those offices by the endower,**

* A'bdu'r Eahim-'b-rbrahim-'b-Hajjaj Zaynu'ddin al Anbasi, as Shafi'i, 1)0111 829, died 891. M. t Muhammad-b-K&sim-b-A'U Shamsu'ddin al Maksi as Shafi'i, bom 817, died 893.

X I differ from M. in the translation of this passage. He would omit the second

in j'**. I would retain it and read the first \J^ (t***i 1^*

I Inal al Ashkar az Zahiri. Mention of him is made by Weil first in the reign ol Sultan Khush Kadam in 867 (H62) when he was Atabek of Aleppo. In the reign of al Malik al Ashraf Kaitbai, he was transferred from the government of Malatiyah to that of Aleppo, pp. 307, 333.

H See Carlyle's edit, of the Maured allatdfat fCantabrig 1792) for this title. Note

7. p. 41. ** What those conditions were is mentioned in the IJusn al Muljddhirah in describing the foundation of the Amir Bhaykhu. It was begun in Muharram 756 {Jan, Feb. 1356). Chairs were appointed for the four orthodox doctrinal schools, a

chair of Tradition, of Kurau reading, lectures (^^""O on the ^aljiljayn and the Shifa'. [ xi'i ]

and to lecture on Mysticism at the Mausoleum of Barkdk* governor of Syria, which is by the gate of al Karafah at Oairo, through the favour of his townsman Abu Tayyib as Suyuti, and to other posts. All this, though he was not fitted for those offices nor nearly so, and for this reason it was said proverbially, that he undertook what he was not qualified to perform. He then gave a loose to his tongue and his pen against his Shaykhs who were his superiors, even to saying of Kadhi Adhud that he was not of as much consequence as a prick in the foot of Ibn u's Salah, and for this he was reproved by one of the Hanabalite vice-presidents in the presence of their Kadhi. He also disparaged as Sayyidf and ar Eadhi on a point of grammar without sufficient foundation, so that he withdrew his statement to a stranger who, when he met him, said, " verily thou assertest that the Sayyid al Jurjani maintains that a letter (iJ^a.)J intrinsically hath no meaning either inherent in it or otherwise, but this statement of the Sayyid's testifieth to the falsehood of what thou dost allege." He replied, " verily I have seen no statement of his to that effect, but when I was at Mecca, I conversed with a distinguished person on this subject, he told me what I have asserted and I relied upon his authority." The other

answered, " it is strange how any one who is an author himself could depend upon such a statement in connection with such a master." Thus far this assertion. He also said that any one who read with ar Radhi and his grammatical teaching, had never reached such a degree of proficiency as to entitle him to be called moderately acquainted with grammar.

He continued thus displaying his presumption till he declared him-

self profoundly versed in the seven sciences. § He further maintained that if all the learned men of the time were to propound thousands of questions to him, he could answer them all by the sole exercise of his reasoning powers, and were he to set them but a tenth part of the same, they would be unable to solve them. He likewise elaborated a work to facilitate the acquisition of the degree of Mujtahid||

The head professor who lectured on Mysticism and the Hanafite theology, was required to he the most learned Hanafite in Egypt, and to be profoundly versed in exegesis and the fundamentals of jurisprudence, and was not to he a ]^a4hi, and this condition was a general one for all the salaried College officials.

* Consult D'Herb. art. Barkok, and Weil. Gesch. Ahb. Cal. Eg. 510 seq. t Ahu'l Hasan A'li-h-Muhammad Zaynu'ddin al Husayni al Jurj&u known as as Sayyid as Sharif, died 816. Meurs.-

I KJjf^ has two senses grammatically speaking, one a letter, the other a particle,

»'. «., what is used to express a meaning and is not a noun or a verb. See Lane.

k Here follows an extract from as Suyuti' which has already been translated in the preceding autobiography.

I This terra is employed to denote a doctor who exerts all his capacity for the purpose of forming a right opinion upon a legal question. The title was common in ,

[ xW ] in order to assert his own claim to it. And how well spoke one of the professors of arithmetic,—" that which he hath confessed* regarding himself in order that it might be inferred that he was impartial, is a proof of his dullness and lack of understanding from the testimony of masters

of this science that it is one needing quick intelligence."

And similar to this is the saying of some one that he claimed the rank of Mujtahid to hide his own errors. And to this effect also, are his own words when a certain distinguished person met him and desired to confer with him on some point, " it cannot be that my store of knowledge in scholastic theology is of small account." The following speech was made to him by another—" inform me regarding the means of acquiring the degree of Mujtadhid. Is there any one living conversant with them ?" He replied, " Tes, there are those who have some knowledge of them, but they are not collectively united in one person but dispersed among a number," The other rejoined, "tell me who they are, and we will bring them together for thee, and thou shalt speak with them, and if each one of them confesseth that thou hast a knowledge of his subject and noteth thee as distinguished therein, it is possible that we may allow thy claim." And he was silent and uttered not a word. He mentions that his compositions number more than 300 volumes, but I have seen some of them consisting only of one page, and those that are less than a " kurrasah"t are numerous. He mentions amongst them a commentary on the ShatibiyahJ and the Alfiyah on the readings of the Kuran, notwithstanding his own confession, as has already gone before, that he had studied them under no Shaykh. Among his writings, the following were fraudulently appropriated from the compositions of our Shaykh. §

..'•'. " ^ ' ' ' " „ I .

the first ages of IsUm, but the principal points having heen fixed by the great doetors, the exercise of private judgment in legal questions soon ceased to be recognized. Some later doctors like as Sujrd^i claimed the title and the right, but both were refused to them by public opinion. See De Slane I. K. I. p. 201. • Alluding to as Suyuti's disinclination to that study. " t A kurrasah" according to De Slane (Vol, II, p. 98) generally contains 20 pages.

X See Note, p. 603. § Meursinge understands him to mean here, al Bulkimi, as aa Sakh&wi speak* of l^***" him under this title { ) in his biography. [ *v ]

All these are the dissertations of our Shaykh, and would that he had not altered them when he appropriated them, for if he had given them as they were, it would have been more profitable. The works belonging to other authors also, among his compositions are numerous. This would be seen were all the works named at hand, but in any case, he was given to much arrogant boasting. He came to me once and asserted that he had read the Musnad of as Shafi'i with al Kammasi, and of his own accord communicated to me what contained a falsehood in every part of it. In the same way he related on the authority of alKamal brother of alJalal alMahalli, a dream in which al Kamal proved his untruth. Al Badru'ddin the Hanbalite Kadhi said to me, " I never saw him reading the Jama' u'l Jawitmi' with my Shaykh notwithstanding my constant zeal in attendance on him {the

Shayhh') ; but indeed Khayru'ddin ar Rishi the Nakib studied it under him." I said, " perhaps he used to come at the same time." He replied, " I never observed it." He asserted that he composed the Nafhat u'l Miskiyah wa'l Tuhfat u'l

Makkiyah (The Mushy Fragrance and the Meccan gift) in one ' kurrasah' when he was at Mecca after the manner of the Ifuwan u's Sharaf of Ibn u'l Mukri* in a single day, and that he wrote an Alfiyah on tradition superior to the Alfiyah u'l I'rakif and other things which it would be tedious to mention. Similar to this is his saying (which verifies the adage that forgetfulness is the undoing of falsehood) in one place that he knew by heart a part of the Minhaj on Fundamentals, and in another that he knew the whole of it, and that the course of Dictation was discontinued after the death of our Shaykh until he reinstated it. So too his assertion

that the first who was appointed to the Shaykhliniyah College was al Kafiyaji, and his remarking to me several times, " by Allah, if the Turkish Superintendent had not appointed him, or had I alone to do in the affair, I would not have preferred him from my knowledge of the special claim of another." Add to all this the inversions and solecisms in pronunciation that fell from him and what arose from his misapprehension of meaning, through his not fre quenting the lectures of the learned nor attending their evening and nightly assemblies, instead of which he worked alone, deep among codices and tomes, and relied upon what had not secured the all approval of accurate scholars ; moreover he was opposed by men universally when he claimed the degree of Mujtahid. He composed l^^^l the following works: — g?>M'^( ^^ iJ J lsj^J^^

* See note, p. S40. Haditli by the ^lafidh Zaynu'ddin A'bdu'r t Alfiyah u'l T'rajki fi XJ?u'l u'l (1403). This and its commentaries are Eahfm-'b-i'l Huaayn al I'raki : died 806 noticed at some length by H, K, ;

[ xvi ]

All this during his stay at Mecca, treating discourteously therein the people of Hijaz for which he richly deserved severe reproof, some of these compositions being more foul than others. Of these I have seen only the first which contains great disparagement of al Jaujari and much arrogance which in parts shows his folly, nay his rabid rage. The fourth is in refutation of al Burhan an Nuaraani* where he reads the words of the Kadhi I'yadh at the close of the Shifa ,^/aj«a=i lx,ascij in the dual number, after he had written him a paper containing hard and coarse language not proper to be addressed to scholars, which induced al Burhan to procure learned opinion upon it and those who wrote agreeing with his reading were al Amin al Iksirai, al U'bbadi, al Bami, az Zayn Kasim al Hanafi, al Fakhr ad Dayyimi and the writer of this memoir. Al Burhan wrote a pamphlet which he entitled al Kaul al Mufassal fi radd a'la'l Mughaffal.

{A clear tractate in refutation of the imiecile) ; moreover one of the disciples of al Jaujari wrote also in support of him but al Jaujarif was incensed against him who undertook this on account of the praise of the person eulogized that his work contained. As Suytiti also wrote a letter to al Kamal-b-Abi Sharif J and filled it with unworthy attacks on al Kirmani. Al Khatib al Waziri sent his son to him at Kaudhah§ to exhibit his proficiency in study, but he sent him back, alleging as an that did not fulfil his father's description of him on certain excuse he || points and that his letter for other reasons, likewise, was not satisfactory to him.

• The Imam Hdfidh Abu'l Padhl ryadh-li-Musa Yah?abi, called as Sabti because he was a native of Ceuta. He was bom in 470 (1077) died in 644 (1149). Among his best known works are a history of Cordova, a devotional work called Azhar u'r Byadh, and the Shifa (Note % p. vii). See his life in D'Herb. The words at the close of the lij.*J ^-Ax-air; Shifa alluded to are, {teste Meurs.) 4i*Ua-j if"} Ix^sij gt peouliarem nobis faoere volet (Bern) peouliarem favorem turboe Prophetsa nostri ejusque agminia. ^^-a^^fli. ia here an inf. n. of U*"^ like {.^^d and tS/iS^ Burhanu'ddin took it as a dual number. Weijers' note on this in Meurs. is remarkable. Quo modo vero

Burhanoddinus iste ibi in duali numero ... legere ... equidem plane non intelligo ; et magis etiam miror partium stadium eorum eruditorum, qui nud^, ut videtur, Sojuti invidi^ ducti, Borhannodino iUi adversus hunc adstipulati, aut oerte illi non plane oblecuti sunt. t Muhammad-b-A'bdi'l Muni'm Shamsu'ddfn al Jaujari al Kahiri as Shafi'i bom 822 (1419) died 889 (1484). M. He was the author against whom was directed the first treatise mentioned in the last page.

X Abu'l Hand Muhammad al Kamalu'ddin-b-Abi Sharif as ShAfi'i : bom 824' Meurs.

§ A place, according to Meursinge where as Suydti had an estate. I must differ " II from Meursinge's rendering of this, non posse se patri ejus (in response suo) omues quos oporteret tituloa dare." [ xvii ]

When a certain student once spoke of the impiety of Ibn u'l A'rabi,*

he replied, "verily war is announcedf that shall come upon him from God, though the judge can find nought against him and he himself deprecates examination of his writings for points which he judges orthodox in which the believer and discerner of true doctrine cannot concur with him," More-

over he reported of him that he said, "it is forbidden to examine my words." As Suyuti was one of those who adopted this tenet (of Ibn A'rabi's) from A'bdu'llah Muhammad-b-Omar al Maghrabi who lived near the Karakiha al Hasani College whose lectures he attended for some

time. More might be said, but were I to discuss all that regarded him, I should transgress due limits. To be brief, he wrote hastilyj without

re/lection : I never knew him to be anything but vain and overweening, even towards his own mother, so that she used constantly to complain of him, and his conduct continued to grow worse in this respect,—may the Most High inspire him with rectitude. The Caliph favoured him and appointed him Shaykh of the Baybar- siyah College in succession to al Jalal al Bakri,§ after which his zeal abated, nay became congealed, so that he sought retirement from the world according to what he himself says, " I gave up lecturing and resolving cases of law and turned myself to the Most High." Before this time he asserted that he had a dream in which the prophet upbraided him, and his Vicegerent as Siddik ordered him to be imprisoned for a year, that he

might revert to lecturing and expounding the law when he took it upon himself to abandon them, and that he asked pardon and desisted from his

purpose : so that if any one came to him with a case, .though he were

* Muhyiddiu-b-A'li a most voluminous writer on Sufiism, » native of Muroia : bom 560 (1165), died 638 (1240). Consult Haj. Khal and the Tabakat al Mufass. of as Suyuti, edit, Meurs. also De Slaue. I. K. Vol. IV, p. 351. In Suyflti's notice of him it is stated that some of his expressions were not altogether orthodox and that though outwardly confirming to the faith, he had some peculiar views on doctrine, but ad Dahabi excuses him on the ground that his writings on Sufiism and his austeri- ties, had disturbed his intellect, and he imagined things that had no existence. See also D'Herb. art. Arabi. «Ul^>x) t^ys! tyil* f Referring to Kur. II, *-[y"J J fjg apprized of war that shall come upon you from God and his apostle.) Meaning, " you threaten him with war from God on account of his impiety, though the temporal judge can find nothing to substantiate the charge ; and he himself deprecates examination of his writings to prove him unorthodox by wresting his words from their proper sense." The Arabio of this passage is obscure and probably corrupt. translation " celeriter describi X I cannot concur in Meursinge's Et hoc potest." § A'bdu'l Baka Muhammad-b-A'bdi'r Rahman ad Dahrdti, known as Jalalu'ddfn al Bakri; born 807 (1404), died 891 (1486). M. The Caliph who appointed him must have been al Mutawakkil 'ala'Uah Abu'l I'zz who died in 903. [ xviii ]

his decision thereon. about to drown at the time, lie would take it to write before. It was not long after this, that he said what has gone experienced from 'Al Muhyi'ddin-b-u'l Mughayzil left him when he previously with him great ili-treatment, after he had acted towards him which generosity and he has related instances of his extravagant pretensions the circumstances themselves verify. As an example, he requested al which Burhanu'ddin al Karati to appoint him to conduct a judicial case was under his charge. The latter complied and on his own part furnished in addition a duplicate of the original process. As Suydti went to him accompanied by al A'lamu'ddin Sulayman al Khalifati to take it, and he never thanked him nor uttered a word expressive of his obligation. He on one occasion related to Muhyi'ddin after as Sunbati's death, a circumstance showing his injustice. He said, " why hast thou told me of this only after his death?" As Suyliti replied, " that thou mayest know the hearts of men." And this notwithstanding his great kindness to him, especially during the time of the high prices when there was a dearth of bread and food in the Shaykhiiniyah, and he used to give him a dinar weekly as he states himself. lu the same way a certain Turk left him, whom from a Hanafite he had made a Shafi'ite, notwithstanding that as Suyiiti had begun by showing great kindness and courtesy towards him. Al Maghrabi likewise abandoned him, the same who used to assert his great sanctity, and also al Fath al Kami.*

An instance of his arrogance, is his saying to one of his attendants, " when I receive the office of Kadhi, I will appoint thee to such and such a thing, nay thou shalt obtain every thing." Subsequently in the year 898, the Shaykh Abu'n Naja sonf of Shaykh Khalaf opposed him and publicly exposed his deficiencies and faults, and he was humbled by him and greatly abased. The Imam al Karaki spoke highly of Abu'n Naja as I have fully shown in the Hawa- dith.J Previously to this as Suyiiti wrote a work entitled, "the Cautery

in refutation of as Sakhawi," in which he opposed what is affirmed in the Sahih,§ although I never touched upon the subject save some time before,

* Meursinge conceives that these were all instances of persons who were at first attached to as Suyuti but were afterwards driven from him by his violence and harshness.

t Abu'n Naja-b-Khalaf al Mi§ri as Shfifi'i, born 849. He used to hold assemblies in the mosques and other public places to which he drew large numbers even from the quarters where as Suyuti lived, and even lectured in Suyuti's own college tha Baybarsiyah. M. note 183, p. 43. X Meursinge supposes that this is the name of a book {Be rebut gestiaj by as Sakhawi but of which no mention is made by H6ji Khalifahi

§ Meursinge translates *iS'»'î ti* "inter vera." I understand §alji^ to signify the authentic traditions that are known under that name. [ îs; ] nay my course towards it having been to speak neither in affirmation or denial. Let us praise God the Distributer of understanding." The Compiler* adds, " The Sultan al A'adil Tdmani Baif removed him from the post of professor of the Baybarsiyah on Monday the 12th Eajab 906 {1st Februari/ 1501) when a number of the Sufi Shaykhs of the Madrassah held a meeting against him on account of his niggardliness with them and his hostility to them by depriving many of them of their stipends and appointing others thereto. He received many humiliations such as judicial mandates, annoyances, interdictions : and other similar things occurred. In the professorship after him was appointed Laishin al Bilbisi, known as Ibn u'l Ballan, on Monday the 26th of the said month, although there were others superior to him in desert, but fortune prevails over merit. Yet he was in no way at ease, fearful lest Jaldlu'ddin (as Suyuî) should disturb him by assorting that al A'adil had forced him publicly to forego his right. And indeed this move of al Jalalu'ddin actually took place though not persisted in, and thus the position of al Bilbisi was insecure. After this Jalalu'ddin's affairs became tranquil and he turned aside from this office and that of professor of tradition in the Shaykhu- niyah with a view to a life of withdrawal from worldly affairs, and he broke off all connection with society by residing at Eaudhah, and I have heard that a number of the principal nobles used to visit him whom he did not rise to greet. The professorship of the Baybarsfyah was offered to him on the death of al Bilbisi on Saturday the 25th of Dul Hijjah 909, but he declined it and al Kamalu'ddin at Tawil assumed it on Monday the 27th of the said month after he had expended largely, it is said, on that account. Jalalu'ddin continued in retirement till he died on Thursday the 18th Jumada F, 911 (ilth October 1505). May the Lord have mercy upon him and- upon us." Having now giyen as Sakhawi's strictures on as Suyiitl, I cannot in justice refrain from presenting to the reader the latter's opinion of his critic, and for this I am indebted to Meursinge who has extracted the following notice from a work of the historian's, entitled liil-*) *'iJt j cÎj^sJ/I h)Uc| {ihe choicest of the great and sons of the Age), Cod. 416th, p. 94. " Muhammad-b-A'bdi'r Eahman-b-Muhammad-Abl Bakr-b-Othman- b-Muhammad as Sakhawi Shamsu'ddin, the traditionist, the historian, the calumniator, was born in 831 (1427-8) and attended while he was yet young, the dictations of the Hafidh Ibn Hajr who fostered in him a love of the science of tradition. He frequented his classes and wrote out

* The word «JI*^ here indicates the termination of as Sakhawi's narrative and that what follows is by the author who has extracted it. t One of the Circassian Mamelukes who reigned three years and a half, 906-9 (lfiOl-3). M. [ XX 1 many of his compositions with hia own hand. He studied under very many collectors of traditions ia Egypt, Syria and Hijaz and he selected and extracted them for himself and for others, notwithstanding his mis- reading of them and his being destitute of all knowledge, so that he was good for nothing but in the mere science of tradition. Then he fell upon history and dissipated his life therein and devoted all his efforts to it, and lacerated therein the reputations of men and filled it with their misdeeds, and all that had been imputed to them whether true or false, and asserted that he was thus doing a necessary duty, viz., apportioning blame or praise, whereas this is manifest folly and error and blasphemy against God. Moreover he was guilty of a fragrant violation of right and was under the burden of many sins, as I have shown in the preface to this book. I mention this only that no one may be seduced by him or trust to any thing that is in his historical writings defamatory of men, especially the learned, or pay heed thereunto. He died in Shaa'ban 902." (April 1497.) The Leyden copy of the work from which this is taken, Meursinge believes to be the only one existing in Europe, and he proposed to himself to treat further of it on some future occasion as it contains memoirs more or less full, of the distinguished men of as Suytiti's age. Whether he ever fulfilled his intentions I do not know, and am therefore unable to give further particulars regarding the irregularities alluded to at the close of the above extract. This is, however, of little importance. The recrimi- nations of authors are little to their credit, and are read with indifference when the passions and jealousies which evoked them are hushed and forgotten. The supplement to as Sakhawi's narrative bears unwilling evidence of the reverence in which as Suyiiti was held at a time when, retired from the world, he still received the unsolicited visits of the great. His petulant notice of the historian's just criticism of Burhanu'ddin's reading of the Shifa of Kadhi I'yadh, and the evident jealousy which induced the learned referees to side with Burhdn, his hints of the dis- approval with which Bulkini and Munawi regarded our author who nevertheless speaks of them in his Husn al Muhddhirah in terms of unqualified esteem, sufficiently prove the unfairness and suggest the untruthfulness of the writer. His rancour against the historian was probably caused by as Suyiiti's criticism of his work the Dhu'l Lami', in his pamphlet entitled the Cautery, and the name not indistinctly hints that the iron was applied red hot. Possibly previous differences may have made his duty a grateful one, and a critique undertaken in this spirit, would not be altogether just. The angry retort of his patient, however, inflicted as keen a wound as he received and the passing satisfaction of an incisive and now forgotten criticism, was more than avenged by the immortality of his victim's reply. [ xxi ]

The length to which these hitherto little known particulars of as Suyiiti's life have unavoidably led me, precludes any extended notice of the work which is here presented to the public. The sources whence the author derived the materials for his history are indicated by him at its close, and if their treatment does not discover any evidence of originality of design, it has at least the merit of condensing into a readable compass, not only the principal events which occurred during the reign of each

Caliph, but the personal details and sketches of court life and manners which are often wanting in Abu'l Fida but which lend their chief interest to the lively narrative of Masa'udi. To the dignity of a history according

to the European acceptation of the term, it has indeed no pretensions. To investigate the relations of cause and effect, to trace the growth and deve- lopment of communities and assign the reasons of their arrestation or decline, to discuss the social, political and religious questions which disturb the tranquillity or affect the fortunes of states, to analyze the characters of

public men and the influences which bear on their conduct ; to paint vivid

descriptions of battle-scenes and pageantries of state ; to survey the arts, manufactures, trades and products of a country and all that constitutes and adorns its national life, this ideal epic of poetry and philosophy, no

Eastern historian has ever attempted. Historical science in its infancy among the Moslems as De Slane has shown, began with oral traditions transmitted from one Hafidh to another, together with the series of

authorities for each independent fact, till their accumulated store became too burdensome for retention by memory. They were then committed to writing in the form of a collection of statements supported by lines of ascription reaching to the original narrators who were in most cases eye- witnesses of what they related. A subsequent writer suppressed the ascriptions to a large extent, marshalled the facts and blended the discon- nected traditions into one continuous but bulky history. Such were Ibn u'l Athir and at Tabari. Then came the abridger who condensed the work of his predecessor into a simpler and smaller volume while the greater work was consigned to veneration and decay in some public library. Such were Abu'l Fida and as Suydti. De Slane has, I think, unfairly censured these last-mentioned writers. He considers them to have done nearly as much injury to their predecessors as Justin and Florus have done to Livy and Tacitus. I do not admit the justness of the parallel nor perceive its relevancy. Justin's history, is a compilation of extracts rather than an abridgment of the lost books of Trogus Pompeius whose guides were exclusively Greek, and who treated in the main but with voluminous digres- sions, of the rise, decline and fall of the Macedonian monarchy. Though Justin has been censured for omitting much from his original that was worthy of record, yet that original was professedly not Tacitus, whose : —

f xxii ]

Histories and Annals are concerned with the period between the second consulship of Galba and the death of Domitian, and from the death of Augustus to the death of Nero. It is true that the Editio Princeps of Florus published about 1471, bore the title, " Titi Livii Epithoma," but it is not regarded by modern scholars as an abridgment of Livy, but a compilation from various authorities epitomizing the leading events from the building of the city to the rise of the Empire. The Epitomes of the books of Livy have been ascribed to Floras, and with equal probability to Livy himself. There is no internal testimony in favour of either conclusion, and external evidence is altogether wanting.* It is difficult, therefore to perceive in what way the assumed injury has been afEected. The parallel applied to the Easterns fails in a similar manner. Their merit would perhaps be slight, were it confined to their condensation, however judicious, of a single work, but this is far from being the case. Abu'l Fida cites no less than fourteen authors, and as Suydti, twelve, to whose voluminous pages they are indebted for their materials. The greater number of the works which they mention have perished, and it is to their labours we owe the preservation of much that would otherwise have been irretrievably lost. Eeiske's eloquent commendation of Abu'l Fida is a just and sufficient testimony to his eminence, and his concluding words wiU suffice me for any panegyric of as Suytiti,—ipse usus eum commendabit, quare laudibus ejus celebrandis parcam.

The MSS. from which the text of this work was edited, which is but one among the many services of the accomplished Orientalist Colonel JS^assau Lees to the world of letters, were the following MS. belonging to Maulvie Muhammad Wajih, Head Professor of the

Calcutta Madrassah : this copy is now missing. „ the property of Maulvie Abd'us Shukiir of Jounpore. Likewise missing.

„ in the possession of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. This latter is the only one with which I have been able to collate the text. Another MS. is mentioned by Weil in his history of the Abbaside Caliphs in Egypt (note, p. 122, Vol. II,) and numbered Cod. Goth. N. 321, which I have not seen. The system of transliteration of Arabic proper names adopted by me, is the same now in general use throughout India. The following letters alone present any difficulty, and are thus represented

• Consult. Eamsay's art, on Livy in 'WiUiam Smith, CI. D. c

;

HISTORY OF THE CALIPHS,

JALALU'DDIN A'S SUYUTI.

After the praises of God, of Him who promises and performs, and who threatens and forgives,—and blessings and peace upon our Chief, Muhammad, Prince of the nobly born, progenitor of the Caliphs—and upon his family and Companions, the possessors of magnanimity and good faith, I proceed to give in this slight historical sketch, a biographical account of the Caliphs, the Princes of the Faithful, who have stood in authority over the people from the age of Abu Bakr the "Witness to the Truth—may God approve him—up to this my time, according to the order of their reigns one after another. And I have mentioned in the lives of all them, the remarkable occurrences which happened during the reign of each, and the chief doctors of the faith, and the illustrious personages who lived during their time.

Many circumstances instigated the composition of this work : among them, that a collection of the biographies of the chiefs of the faith, and those eftdowed with virtue, was desirable and would be welcome, and in truth, there are those who have compiled histories in which they have introduced these distinguished men, but unsystematically, and without giving a full account of them, and their completion would entail prolixity and weariness. For this reason I was desirous of separately detailing each class of men in a work apart, which would be more advantageous for those who wished for particulars of any one class, and easier to consult. Thus I have set apart one book for the prophets—upon whom be the benediction and peace of God,—and another for the Companions of the Prophet abridged from the " Isaba" of the Shaykhu'l Islam Ibn Hajr ; —and

another comprising the various commentators of the Kuran ; and an 1 C 2 ] abridged work on the lives of the Hufiadh,* epitomized from the TabaHt on the grammarians and philologists, of ad Dahabi ; and a voluminous work on any similar to which had not been before composed; and a book those learned in the fundamentals of the faith,—and a voluminous work the doctors of the Law of on those famed for sanctity ; and another on

Ehetoricians ; and another on Writers, that Inheritance ; and another on celebrated for cal- is authors of prose composition ; and another on those poets whose works are authori- ligraphy ;t and another on the Arab ties in the language, and these comprehend the greater number of eminent men of the nation. I rest satisfied, regarding doctors of Law, with what other men have written on that subject, on account of its abundance, and independence of am further information thereon,—and I have likewise contented myself with what the Tabakat of ad Dahabi J contains on the Readers of the Kuran. The Kadhis are included among the preceding, and therefore, among personages of distinction, the history of the Caliphs alone remains tmwritten, notwithstanding the eagerness of men for accounts of them. I have therefore set apart this book for them but have not included in it, any who disputed the Caliphate by force of arms, and did not succeed to power, such as many of the descendants of Ali and a few of the House

of Abbas : neither have I made mention of any of the Caliphs, the descendants of U'bayd-u'llah,§ because their authority was illegal for many reasons—among them—this, that they were not of the tribe of the Kur- aysh, and although the ignorant vulgar have named them Fatimites,

* A Hafidli or one who remembers wliat he has heard or read, is of the 3rd grade of the Traditionists. Of these there are five. The Hafidh must know 300,000 traditions hy heart, and he able to name the lines of authorities of each. Consult Ibn-Sala^ on tradition.

+ The Khattu'l Mansub is a species of handwriting, the invention of which is attributed by Ibn Khali (see life of al-Bawwab) to Abu Abdullah al-Hasan brother of Ibn Muklah, while ad pahabi (Tarikhu'l Islam) gives the credit of it to the latter. See De Slane's notes on this handwriting. Ait. Ibn al Aamidi the 5^dhi. J Abu Abdullah Muhammad a doctor of the Shfifii school, sumamed the ' sun of religion' bom at Damascus A. H. 673, (1276) but his ancestors were Turkoman. He was the chief Hifidh and !l§[.urau reader of Syria. His works are very numerous. The Taba]k;dt there mentioned is a biography of the Headers of the ^min. See Ibn Khali.

§ The founder of this house was ITbaydu'llah al Mahdi who assumed the Caliphate in 296 A. H. (A. D. 908). At the same period Abdu'Uah was Caliph in " " Spain, and Al Mu^tadir at Baghdad : In the 10th century" says Gibbon the chair of Mahomed was disputed by three Caliphs who reigned at Baghdad, Caiioan and Cordova, excommmiioated each other and agreed in a principle of discord that a sectary is more odious and criminal than an unbeliever." —

[ 3 ]

nevertheless their ancestor was a worshipper of fire. Kadhi Abdu'l JabbAr of Basrah says that the name of the ancestor of the Egyptian Caliphs was Said and his father was a Jew blacksmith of Salamiyah.*

The Kadhi Abu Bakr al Bakilanif says that al Kaddah the grandfather of Ubaydu'llah, called al Mahdi, was a fire-worshipper, and l/Baydu'llah

went to Africa and asserted that ,he was a descendant of Ali ; none of the genealogists recognised him as such, but ignorant people called them Fatimites.

Ibn Khallakan remarks that most of the learned did not hold as valid, the pedigree of Ubaydu'llah al Mahdi, the ancestor of the Egyptian Caliphs, insomuch that when al Aziz bi'Udh son of al Muizz in the beginning of his reign, ascended the pulpit on a Friday, he found there a

piece of paper, and in it these lines

" We have heard a false pedigree Eead from the pulpit in the mosque. If thou art truly what thou assertest. Then name fhy ancestor up to the fifthj generation. And if thou mean to verify what thou sayest

Then give us thy pedigree like that of at Taia. § If not, then leave thy pedigree in obscurity

< And enter with us into a common ancestry For the genealogies of the sons of Hashim To them aspires not the desire of the ambitious.

Al Aziz wrote to the Umayyad,|| then ruler of Spain, a letter in which he reviled and satirized him, whereupon the Umayyad replied, saying, " After the usual greetings, verily thou knewest me, therefore hast thou satirized me, and surely if I knew thee, I would answer thee :" and this came sorely upon al Aziz and silenced him from reply, for it meant that he was an im- postor and his family unknown.

* The printed edition has ^luJ an arrow-maker—the MS. has Sa^jJLw of

Sulaymiah—the latter is probably a copyist's error for ixjl« a small town in the

district of Enessa where according to Ibn !^hallakau Al Mahdi was bom—I have preferred the latter reading. t Called Bakilani or vendor of beans. He was of Basrah but long resident in Baghdad and celebrated as a doctor of scholastic theology a voluminous author, died A. H. 403 (1013 A. D.). Ibn KhaU.

X The text and MS. have *jU> instead of pjl) . It is clear from Ibn Khal-

lakan that the former is incorrect as al Aziz was fifth in descent from al Mahdi.

§ A ootemporary of al Aziz. At Taiali'llah reigned as Caliph at Baghdad in A. H. 363 (A. D. 913) a lineal descendant from Hashim great-grandfather of Mu- jbammad. This must have been either Hakam or Hisham called al Mustansir. Hakam died II one year after the accession of al Aziz and was succeeded by Hisham al Muayyad. [ 4 ]

Ad Dahabi says that authorities are agreed upon this, that Fbayd- u'Uah al Mahdi was not a descendant of Ali ; and how well spoke his grandson al Mtiizz, the ruler of Cairo, when fbn Tabataba,* the descendant of

All questioned him regarding their origin ! He half drew his sword from the scabbard and said " This is my pedigree," and scattering gold among the nobles and those who were present, said " here are ike proofs of my iiobUifcy."

And atnong tJie reasons aforesmA is this, that the greater number of them were Magians, beyond the pale of Islam; and there were of them, some who reviled the prophets, and among them some who held the use of wine lawful, and some of them commanded worship unto themselves, and the best of them were heretics, unclean and base, who directed the execra- tion of the Companions of the jprophet—may God approve them—and to such as these, homage is not binding and their headship is illegal. And Abu Bakr al Bakilani says that l/baydu'Uah al Mahdi, was a vUe Batini,t eager for the subversion of the orthodox faith. He persecuted learned men and doctors of law, that he might be able to seduce the people, and his descendants followed his ways. They gave a license to wine and fornication and promulgated heresy. Ad Dahabi says that al Kaim the son of al Mahdi, was more wicked than his father, an accursed Magian, who openly reviled the prophets, and he adds that the House of Ubaydu'llah was more malevolent towards the Orthodox faith than the Tartars.

Abu'l Hasan al KabasiJ says that Ubaydu'llah and his descendants put to death four thousand of the learned and pious, seeking to turn them from acknowledging the Companions of the prophet, but they preferred death—then, well indeed, had he been only a heretic but he was a Magian. (Zindik.)§

The Kadhi lyadh tells us thatH Abu Muhammad al Kayruwani, al

* Abu Muhammad Abdu'llah 9th in descent from AU, a native of Hijaz but an inhabitant ot Egypt. He was a Sharif noted for the nobility of his character, his vast ppssessions and the style in which he lived, born A. H. 286 (A. D. 899) and died 4th !Rajab at Cairo A. H. 348 (September A. D. 959). Ibu Khali. t This is the same sect as the Assassins so often mentioned in the history of the Crusades, founded by Hasan Saba, known as the Old Man of the Mountain. The word signifies possessing inward light and knowledge. See Von Hammer-Gesch-dor

% A doctor of the M41iki school. A great Traditionist—died A. H. 403, (A. D. 1012.) IbnKhaU.

§ This term primarily implies an assertor of the doctrine of Dualism, but it is also used to signify an atheist or one who denies the world to come and maintains the eter- nity of the present. Consult. Lane, art Ohresth. Jj (i,)) De Saoy, Ar. 2nd Ed. II. p. 274. Abu'l Fadtil lyddlj a traditionist greatest authority II —the of his age on Arabic history and literature. He was educated at Cordova and died in Morocco—^A. H. 644 (A. D. 1160). Ibn Khali. — ;

[ 5 ]

Kiz^ni, one of the doctors of the Maliki school was asked as to the case of one compelled by the House of Ubayd, namely, the Caliphs of Egypt—to acknowledge their claims or die. He replied " he must choose death and no

one can be excused in such an instance : their assumption of authority at first took place before their pretensions were understood, but afterwards flight was imperative and no one through fear of death could excuse his volimtwry abiding, forasmuch as residence in a place, the people of which are

required to abandon the religious precepts of Islam is not permissible nevertheless some few doctors of law did remain exceptionally for them, lest a Tonowledge of their religious ordinances might be wanting to the Muslims and the rulers seduce them from their faith." And Yusuf ur Euayni says that the learned of Kayruwan were agreed that the House of ITbayd were in the condition of apostates and Magians, for they declared openly against the law. Ibn Khallakan remarks as follows : " Verily they laid claim to the knowledge of hidden things, and accounts of them regarding this are well-known, for when al Aziz cue day, g,scended the pulpit, he observed a piece of paper in which was written

Verily we are patient under tyranny and oppression not under infidelity and folly But ; If thou art gifted with the knowledge of what is hidden Eeveal to us the writer of this letter.

A woman, also, once addressed to him. a petition in which was written : " By Him who hath exalted the Jews through Misha* and the Christians through Ibn Nastur, and hath disgraced the true believers in thee, see that thou look into my case," and Misha the Jew was intendant of the finances in Syria and Ibn Nastdr in Egypt. Among other reasons is this, that their assumption of the Oaliphate, occurred at a time when an Abbasi Imam was already in possession with

priority of allegiance ; it was therefore illegal, for a' covenant of fealty to

two Imams at the same time cannot be justified, and the fijst is the rightful one. And again there is a tradition to this effect, that this authority when it shall come into the possession of the children of Abbas, shall not depart from them, until they themselves shall resign it unto Jesus the Son of Mary, or al Mahdi.f It is therefore ascertained that whosoever assumes the Caliphate during their incumbency is a schismatic and a rebel.

For these reasons therefore, I have made no v mention of any of the House of ITbayd, nor of other schismatics but only of the Caliphs who unite orthodoxy of headship and a covenant of allegiance.

* The readings of tlie MS. vary in both places where this name ocouts. t The last of the Imams who it is believed, will appear before the Day of Judg- ment, to overthrow Bajjal—the Man of Sin that is to come. [ 6 ]

I have prefaced the beginning of the book with a few chapters, containing observations of importance and what I have introduced of strange and remarkable occurrences, is taken from the history of the Hafidh-acl Dahabi, and the responsibility for his own work is upon him, and the Lord

is my helper.

In explanation of haw the prophet left no successor and the mystery of this.*

Al-Bazzarf in his Musnad (collection of traditions) states on the authority of HudayfahJ that the Companions of the prophet said : ! Apostle of God, wilt thou not appoint a successor unto us ?" He replied, " Verily did I appoint a successor over you, and were you to rebel against the successor appointed by me, punishment would come upon you." The two Shaykhs§ have recorded regarding Omar that he said when he was stabbed. " Were I to name a successor, then, verily, he named a successor, who was greater than I," (meaning Abu Bakr,) "and were I to leave you without one, then, verily, he also hath left you so, who was greater than I," (meaning the Apostle of God). Ahmad and al Bayhaki|l in their Proofs of Prophecy, have related on good authority from Amar-b-Sufyan, that when Ali was victorious on the " day of the Camel,^ he said, O ! men, verily the Apostle of God hath committed nothing unto us in regard to this authority, in order that we might of our own judgment approve and appoint Abu Bakr, who ruled and so continued until he went his way ; then Abu Bakr thought fit to nominate Omar who ruled and so continued until the right became estab-

* As tte mention of the liaea of authorities for each tradition is of no pfofit to the general reader, they will be omitted, the first and last alone being given. t Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Abdu'l Baki, surnamed the Kadhi of the infirmary, a great traditionist—flourished about A. D. 1123. The MS. has al Bazzdz of whom I can find no notice as traditionist but only as a teacher of Kurdu reading. Another al Bazzar is Abu Bakr Muhammad Abdu'Uah-b-Ibrahim—a Shafiite doctor, author of the Ghilaniyat, died A. H. 354. t Abu Abdu'llah-b-u'l Yaman, one of the oompanionB died A, D. 656. Ibn Hajar.

§ Al Bukh£ii and Muslim, the two greatest of the six highest authorities on tradition—the other are at Tirmidi, Abu Dauud, an Nasai and Ibn Mdja. Abu Bakr-b-al-Husayu called al Bayhaki from his birthplace II near Naypabur an eminent traditionist bom 384 (994) died 458 (1066). Ibn Khali. H battle so ^ The called from the camel ridden by Aysha when defeated and taken prisoner Ali under by the walls of Basrah A. ^. 66. See Gibbon, Vol. VI, p. 276. Ed. Mil. [ 1 1 lished.* Then the people sought worldly advantages and events occurred regarding which may the Lord determine." Al.Hakimf in his Mustadrak has recorded, and al Bayhaki has confirmed it in his " Proofs" on the testimony of Abu WAil, that it was asked of KM. " Wilt thou not appoint a successor unto us ?" He replied, " The Apostle of God appointed none, shall I therefore do so ? hut if God desireth the good of the people, He will unite them after me upon the best of themselves, as He united them after their prophet upon the best among them. Ad Dahabi remarks that among the heretics there are some idle traditions that tAe prophet bequeathed the Caliphate to Ali, and verily Huzayl-b-ShurahbilJ says, " Did Abu Bakr obey Ali, the legatee of the apostle of God ? Abu Bakr would have been glad to have received the bequest from the apostle of God, for then he would have forced Ali to submit."

Ibn Saad§ has recorded on the authority of Hasan that Ali said, " When the apostle of God died, he deliberated upon our tnode of government, and we found that the prophet had made Abu Bakr take the lead in public prayers. We approved, therefore, for our temporal affairs one whom the apostle of God approved for our spiritual concerns. We thus gave precedence to Abu Bakr.'J Al Bukhari says in his history that it is related on the authority of Safinah|| that the prophet said of Abu Bakr,

Omar, and Othman—"these shall be the Caliphs after me," but this is not to be followed, says al Bukhari, because Omar Ali, and Othman have asserted that the prophet did not appoint a successor. ibn-Haban^ has recorded the above tradition and relates on the authority of Safinah that when the apostle of God built the mosque at Medina, he laid a stone on the foundation and said to Abu Bakr, " Lay thy stone

* For this ourious meaning of &J|yS^ S!/* ^®® Lane art. {>)j^. t Abu Abdu'Uah Muhammad bom at Naysabur '321 A. H, (933) and held the office of Kadhi under the Samani rule, and died there A. H. 405 (A. D. 1014). He was the most eminent traditionist of his time. The Mustadrak ala's Sahihayn (Supple- ment to the two Sahihs of al Bukhari and Muslim) is the work alluded to. He composed numerous others, on the sciences connected with tradition. Consult, Ibn KhaU. J Of the tribe Aud. He was what is called a Tabi or one next in time to the Companions. An Nawawi. called Katib-i-Wakidi § Abdu'Uah Muhammad, b. Saad of Basrah from having transcribed and completed the works of that historian. Also author of the Tabakati Kabir, died 845 A. D. Ibn Khali. Abu Abdu'r Kahman Mihran sumamed Safinah by Muljammad whose freed- II man he was, on account of his having carried across a stream some of the Companions with whom Muhammad was one day walking, Safma signifying a boat. An Nawawi.

U Abu Abdu'llah • Mu^ammad-b-Yabya-b-Haban, died at Medina A. D. 739, at the age of 74 An. Naw. [ 8 ]

by the side of my stone ;" then he said to Omar " lay thy stone by the side of the stone of Abu Bakr ;" then he said to Othman, " lay thy stone by the side of the stone of Omar." Then he said " These shall be the Caliphs after me." Abu Zarah says that his authorities are not unreliable, and indeed al Hakim has recorded it in his Mustadrak and al-Bayhaki has confirmed it in his " Proofs" and others besides these two. I remark that there is no contradiction betweeq it and the saying of Omar and Ali that the prophet did not name a successor, for the meaning of these two is .that at the time of his death, he did not lay down an authoritative injunction for the succession of any particular one, and this other refers to what occurred at a period antecedent, for it is similar to a saying of the prophet in another tradition, " Obey my law, and the law of the Caliphs after me, the orthodox, the rightly guided," and to his saying, " Follow those after me Abu Bakr and Omar" and others from among the traditions referring to the Caliphate.

On the Imams leing of the Kuraysh, and the Califhate being the prerogative of these.

Abu Dauiid at Tay^lisi* in his collection of traditions has recorded from Abu Barzahf that the prophet said—" The Imams shall he of the

Kuraysh, as long as they shall rule and do justice and promise and fulfi], and pardon is implored of them and they are compassionate." And at from that " TirmidiJ Abu Hurayrah§ the apostle of God said ; the sovereignty shall rest in the Kuraysh and judicial authority with the Auxili- aries, and calling to prayers with the Abyssinians." And Imam Ahmad his " in Musnad from tftbah-b-Abdan that the prophet said : The Caliphate shall rest in the Kuraysh and judicial authority with the Auxiliaries and the office of calling to prayer with the Abyssinians." His authorities are trustworthy. Al Bazzar has recorded from Ali Ibn Abi Tdlib that the apostle of " God said : The princes shall he of the Kuraysh ; the just among them rulers of the just, and the wicked, rulers of the wicked."

• Atu Dautid Sulaymfai Porsian a by birth resident at Basrah, died A. D. 81 S. Ibn Khali. t Abu Barzah Nazlah-b-TTbayd one of the Companions who fought by Mut^inimad's side ia seven engagements, died during the campaign in Khurasan 684. Ibn Hajr. t Abu I'aa Muljammad called after his birthplace Tirmi^ on the banks of the Oxus. He ia one of the six great traditiouists, died A. D. 892. § A well-tnown Compiinion of Muljanunad, his real name is a subject of dispute Ibn Uajr places his death in A. H. S9. [ 9 ]

The Imiim Ahmad* has related on the authority of Safinah that he heard the Apostle of God say; " The Caliphate shall last for thirty years and after it, shall follow a monarchy." The learned say that in these thirty years are included only the four Caliphs and the reign of al Hasan. And al Bazzar from Abu U'baydah-b-u'lt Jarrah that the prophet said " Your religion began with the prophetic mission and in clemency : it shall continue with the Caliphate and in clemency ; then shall follow monarchy and despotism." A reliable tradition. A'bdu'Uah-b-Ahmad records " on the authority of Jabir-b-Samurah from the prophet that he said ; This rule shall continue in honour, its holders overcoming all that oppose them therein, up to twelve Caliphs, all of them of the Kuraysh." The two Shaykhs and others have recorded this—and there are other lines of ascription and readings of it ; among them " this rule shall continue secure," and "this rule shall remain in force"—and, according to Muslim, " the rule over the people shall continue in force until twelve men shall have ruled them ;" and also according to him " this authority shall not come to an end until twelve CalijDhs shall have passed away in it from among the people ;"—and " Islam shall continue revered and unassailable until there shall have heen twelve Caliphs ;" and according to al Bazzar, " the sway of my people shall continue to abide until twelve Caliphs, all of them of the Kuraysh shall have passed away"—and according to Abu Dauud there " is an addition ; and when he returned to his house, there came to him the Kuraysh and they said, " then what will follow ?" He replied, " there will follow sedition." And also according to him, " This faith shall continue to abide until twelve Caliphs shall have been over you, upon all of whom the people shall be gathered together :" and according to Ahmad and al Bazzar from Ibn Masa'ud who was asked, " How many of the Caliphs ?" " shall rule this people He replied : We asked the Apostle of God concerning them, and he answered " Twelve, like unto the number of the

chiefs' of the children of Israel." Kadhi I'yadh says that the meaning of the twelve Caliphs in this tradition and in those resembling it, is perhaps this, that they. would flourish during the period of the glory of the Caliphate and the vigour of Islam, and the integrity of its government, and the gathering of the people around him who assumed the vicegerency, and

* The Imam Atu A'bdu'llah. Aljmad as Shaybani-al-Marwazi (native of Marw) was the son of Muhammad-h-Hanbal, born at Baghdad A. H. 164 (A. D. 780), a traditionist of the first class. It is said he knew by heart a million of these traditions, al Bukhari tod Muslim were his disciples. His persistence in refusiag to declare the Kui-an created is well-known. He died at Baghdad A. H. 241 (855). t Abu U'baydah commonly called the son of al Jarrah—but incorrectly according to Ibn Hajr and sin Nawawi who maintain that his father was A'bdu'Uah and his grandfather al Jarrah. 2 [ 10 ] these conditions were found in those round whom the people gathered until the sway of the children of Umayyah was troubled and discord fell among them in the reign of Walid-b-Yazid, and thus it continued among them tmtil arose the Abhaside power and they overthrew their sovereignty." The Shajkh u'l Islam Ibn Hajr in the " Commentary on al Bukhari gays ;" —the words of the Kadhi I'yadh are the best that have been uttered on this tradition, and the most important, on account of their confirmation of his remark on some of the lines of ascription of the authentic tradition, "upon all of whom the people shall be gathered together:" and the elucidation of this is, that the meaning of gathering together, is their submission to do him homage, and this very thing came to pass, for the people gathered round Abu Bakr, then Omar, then Othman, then A'li until occurred the affair of the " two Arbitrators" at Siffin,* and Mu'awiyah assumed the Caliphate from that day. Then the people gathered round Mu'dwiyah at the time of the treaty with al Hasan : then they united upon his son Yazid and the authority of al Husayn was never established—nay—he was killed before its accom- plishment. Then when Yazid died, discord fell among them until they gathered round Abdu'l Malik-b-Marwan, after the death of Ibn uz Zubayr. Then they gathered round his four sons, al Walid, and Sulayman, and

Yazid and Hisham ; and between Sulayman and Yazid, there intervened Omar b-A'bdi'l A'ziz. These, therefore, are seven, after the orthodox Caliphs, and the twelfth is Walid-b-Yazid b-Abdi'l Malik, round whom the people gathered when Hisham, his father's brother died. He reigned about four years. Then they rose up against him and slew him and dissension prevailed and things were changed from that day, and it never happened after that, that the people gathered round any Caliph, for the reign of Yazid-b-Walid, the same who rose against his cousin al Walid-b-Yazid, was not long : for there marched against him before he died, the son of his father's uncle, Marwan-b-Muhammad-b-Marwan. When Yazid died, his brother Ibrahim reigned but Marwan slew him ; thereupon the sons of A'bbas made war upon Marwan until he was slain. Then the first of the Caliphs of the children of Abbas was as Saffah, but his reign was not protracted by reason of the multitude of those who went out against him. Then his brother al Mansiir held sway, and his reign was long, but the remote west passed away from them through the conquest of Spain by the

* Abu Mtisa Asha'ri on the part of A'li and A'mr b-u'l Aas on the part of Mu'4- wiyah. The plain of Siffin, says Gibhon, which extends along the western bank of the Euphrates, is determined by D'Anville (1' Euphrate et le Tigre, p. 29) to he the Campus Barbarioua of Procopiua, [ 11 ] descendants of Marwan, and it continued in tteir hands predominant over it, until they afterwards assumed the Caliphate—and things came to such a pass that nothing remained of the Caliphate in the provinces but the name, after it had been that in the time of the children of Abdu'l Malik b-Marwan, the Khutbah was read in the name of the Caliphs in all the regions of the earth, the east and the west, the right hand and the left, wherever the true believer had been victorious, and none in any one of all the provinces, was appointed to hold a single office, except by order of the Caliph. Regarding the immoderate lengths to which things went, verily in the fifth century in Spain alone, there were six persons who assumed the title of Caliph and together with them, a descendant of U'baydu'llah ruler in Egypt and an A'bbasi in Baghdad, exclusive of those who claimed the Caliphate in the regions of the earth, of the descendants of A'li and the schismatics." He adds, " perhaps this interpretation is the meaning of the prophet's words " there will follow sedition," that is, slaughter arising from sedition openly occurring and continuous, and such actually occurred. And it has been also said that the meaning of it is, the appearance of the twelve Caliphs during the whole duration of Islam until the day of judgment, acting according to the truth, although their reigns may not follow in succession one after another ; and this confirms what has been recorded by Musaddad in his Musnad-i-Kabir from Abu'l Khuld who says, " This people shall not perish until there shall have been from among them, twelve

Caliphs, all of them labouring in the way of salvation and the true faith, and among them, two shall be of the family of Muhammad." According to this, therefore, the meaning of his words " there will follow sedition" is, the troubles foretelling the resurrection by the coming of Dajjal and the issue thereof— (here he ends)." I observe that according to this, of the twelve Caliphs, are accounted for, the four and al Hasan and Mu'awiyah it is probable that there and Omar Ibn A'bdi'l A'ziz : these are eight and may be added to them, al Muhtadi of the House of A'bbas, for he is among them what Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz is, among the children of Umayyah, vouchsafed and in the same way, ad Dhahir,* on account of what was are to be unto him of rectitude of conduct, and there remain two who is family of awaited, one among them heinff al Mahdi, for he of the Muhammad, upon whom be the blessing and peace of God, * Ad Dhahir hi'amri'Uah. [ 12 ]

On the traditions premonitory of the Caliphate of the children of Umayyah.

A't Tirmidi relates on the authority of Yusuf-b-Saa'd that a man stood up before al Hasan the son of A'li, after he had sworn allegiance to Mu'a- wiyah, and said, " Thou hast blackened the faces of the true believers," and he replied " Eeproach me not, may the Lord have mercy on them, for the prophet saw the children of Umayyah on his pulpit, and it troubled " him : then was revealed to him Verily we have given thee al Kauthar"* and there was also revealed to him—" we sent down the Kuran on a night of power and what shall make thee understand how excellent the night of power is : the night of power is greater than a thousand months"t " in which the children of Umayyah shall possess the Caliphate, O Muhammad." " Al Kasim says, I have computed and lo ! it is a thousand months, no more and no less." At Tirmidi says " this but once recorded tradition, I know only from the tradition of al Kasim who is reliable but his master is uttknown." Al Hakim has given this tradition in his Mustadrak (Supple- ment) and Ibn Jarir in his Commentary—but the Hafidh Abu'l Hajjaj and Ibn Kathir say that it is unreliable. Ibn JarirJ in his Commentary has related on the authority of the grandfather of Abu Sahl that he said, " the Apostle of God saw the child- xen of al Hakam-b-Abi'l A'as leap upon his pulpit with the leap of apes, and that troubled him and he never brought himself to smile until his death, and God revealed to him concerning it, " We have appointed the vision which we showed thee only for an occasion of dispute unto men."§ The authorities are weak, but there are concurring testimonies from the traditions of A'bdu'llah-b-Omar, and Ya'la-b-Murrah, Husayn-b-A'li and others. I have quoted it with its authorities in the Commentary and Musnad, and alluded to it in my work, the " Eeasons of Eevelation.

* Kur. VIII.—Al Kauthar is a stream in Paradise—the word signifies " ahxm.- dance of good." Hence tKe gift of wisdom. See Sale. t Kur. XVIII—the concluding sentence is not in the Kuran. { Abu Jaa'far Muhammad-b-Jarir at Tahari is the author of a great Commentary on the j^uran and a famous history. He was a master of the highest authority (Imim) on various branclies of knowledge, such as tradition, jurisprudence and the like—bom A. H. 224 (838-9) at Amul in Tabaristau and died at Baghdad A. H. 310 (A. D. 923) Ibn Khali.

§ Kur. XVII. This verse is generally supposed to refer to the prophet's journey to heaven, which was the occasion of much dispute amongst his followers until confirmed by the testimony of Abu Bakr. See Sale. [ 13 ]

On the traditions annunciatory of the Caliphate of the children of A'bhds.

Al Bazzar has related from Abu Hurayrat that the Apostle of God said to A'bbas—" in ye shall rest prophecy and sovereignty :" and at Tir- midi from Ibn A'bbas, that the Apostle of God said to A'bbas, " when it shall be the morning of the second day, come to me, thou and thy son, that I may invoke upon thy descendants a blessing by which, may God profit tbee and thy son ;" and he went at dawn and I went with him and " he clothed us with a mantle ; then he said, Lord ! vouchsafe unto

A'bbas and unto his son, an outward and inward mercy ; leave them not in sin ; Lord, preserve him in his son." Thus has at Tirmidi quoted it in his " Jami'," and Eazin* al A'bdari has added to the end of it, " and mate the Caliphate abiding in his posterity." I observe that this tradition, and that which precedes it, are the best that have come down on this subject.

At Tabaranif records that the Apostle of God said, " I saw in vision the children of Marwan taking possession of my pulpit, one after another, which troubled me, and I saw the children of A'bbas taking possession of my pulpit one after another and that gladdened me ;" and Abu Nua'ymJ in his Huliyah, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Apostle of God came forth, and there met him A'bbas and he said, " Shall I not give thee good tidings, O father of excellence ?" who replied 'Yea, Apostle of God," and he said. "Verily God hath begun this authority with me and will fulfil it

in thy posterity." (The ascription is unreliable.) There has also come down

a tradition of A'li's on authorities still weaker than this, quoted by Ibn

* Abu'l Ilasan Eazin-'b-Mu'£wiyah-'b-A'mmar a member of the trite of A'bdu' d Dar, a native of Saragosaa in Spain, was Imam to the Maliki school at Mecca. His wort is generally designated Kit&h-i-Eazin, in which he assembled and classed all the traditions contained in the Sahi^ of al Bukhari, and Muslim, the Muwatta of Malik, the Jami' of at Tirmidi and the Siman of Ahu DauM, died at Mecca A. H. 525 (A. D. 1130.) Ihn Khali. De Slaue. t Ahu'l Kasim Sulaymfc b-Ahmad of the tribe of Lakhm, the chief Hdfidh of his time—bom at Tabariya in Syria and having settled at Ispahan contiaued there

till his death on Saturday 28th of Du'l Ka'adah A. H. 360 (September A. D. 971) at the age of about one hundred. His Dictionary (Mu'jam) of the traditionists is the best known of hjs works, the large (kabir), small (saghir) and medium (auaat) editions of which are frequently alluded to. Ibn Khali.

J Hafidh Abu Nu'aym Aljmad b-A'bdu'llah author of the *LjJjJ|( *jJ«a. or oma-

meat of the Saints " containing the lives of the principal Muslim Saints, born in Rajab 336 (A. D. 948) and died at Ispahan in Safar 430 (A. D. 1038). Ibn Khali. —

[ 14 J

A'sakir* from the ascription of Muhammad-b-Yunas al Karimi (and he was a fabricator of traditions) up to A'li, that the Apostle of God, said to A'bbas. " Verily God hath begun this authority with me and will fulfil it in thy posterity." And the same has been handed down in the tradition

of Ibn A'bbas quoted by al Khatibf in his history, and the reading of it

as follows : " With ye shall begin this authority and in ye shall it be fulfilled," and this will appear with its ascrij)tion in the life of al Muhtadi bi'llah. It has also come down in the tradition of A'mmar-b-Tasir, quoted by al Khatib, and Abu Nua'ym records in the Huliyah on the authority of " Jabir-b-A'bdu'llah, that the Apostle of God said ; there shall be kings of

the posterity of A'bbas, who shall be the rulers of my people ; may God glorify the faith through them." Also in his " Proofs" from TJmmu'l PadhlJ who said " I was passing by the prophet when he exclaimed " verily thou art pregnant of a boy and when thou givest him birth, then bring him to me," and when I gave birth to him, I went to the prophet and he called out the AdAn in his right ear, and the§ Ikamah in his left, and he made him drink of his spittle and named him Abdu'llah and said to me "depart with the Father of the Caliphs." I made this known to A'bbas and he spoke of it to the Apostle who said, " he is what she told

you ; he is the Father of the Caliphs among whom shall be as SaS'ah and among whom shall be al Mahdi, and among whom shall be one who shall pray together with Jesus the Son of Mary, upon Him be peace." Ad Daylami|| in his Musnad u'l Firdaus has related from Aysha a tradition ascribed to the prophet—" It shall come to pass that the children of A'bbas shall possess a standard, and it shall not depart from their hands

* Atu'l Kasim A'li, sumamed Thikatuddin, a native of Damascus and chief tiadi- tionist of Syria who acquired a superiority in that science that no other had ever attained, horn A. H. 499, (1105) died at Damascus A. H. 571, (A. D. 1176). Ibn KhaU. t Hafidh Ahu Bakar AJimad-h-A'li known as Alkhatib or the preacher, a native of Baghdad who composed a history of the city and is the author of nearly one hundred works. Though a doctor of law, he made tradition his principal study, bom A. H. 392 (A. D. 1002) and died A. H. 463 (A. D. 1071). Ibn KhaU. " X The Mother of Excellence," the name of the wife of A'bbas and also of his daughter, the former is here meant.

§ The Ikamah is a sentence which is said after the conclusion of the Adan or call to prayer and which announces that prayers have begun. This ceremony is still occa- sionally performed at the birth of a child—but is not obligatory. Abu Shujdd Shiruyiah-b-Shahrd4r-b-Shiruyiah-b-Fanna Khusrau of Hamadin II ad Daylami. He was the author of a history of Hamadan and the " Musnad u'l Fir- daus." HAfidh Yahya-b-Mandah says of him that though fairly well read, his knowledge of traditions was imperfect, and he could not distinguish between good and untrust-worthy ones and therefore his Firdaus is full of idle tales, died A. H. 509. Bustdn u'l Muljaddithin, [ 15 ] as long as they shall uphold righteousness." And Darakutni* in his " A£rad" from Ibn A'bbds that the prophet said to A'bbds, " When thy posterity shall inhabit the Sawwadf and clothe themselves in black and their followers shall be the people of Khurasan, dominion shall not cease to abide with them until they resign it unto Jesus, the Son of Mary."

Ahmad b-Ibrahim is a worthless authority and his master is unknown and the tradition is so little reliable that Ibn u'l JauziJ has mentioned it in his " Fabrications"—but there is evidence for it in a tradition ascribed to the prophet, quoted by at Tabarani in the " Kabir"—" the Caliphate shall abide among the children of my paternal uncle, and of the race of my father, until they deliver it unto the Messiah." (A'd Daylami has quoted it from Ummi Salimah§ with a different ascription). AlU'kayli|| records in his book of " Invalid authorities," a tradition' ascribed to the prophet " the children of Abbas shall reign two days for every day in which the children of TJmayyah shall reign, and two months for every month." Ibn u'l Jauzi has quoted this in his ' Fabrications' and has invalidated it on account of the untrustworthiness of Bakkar,^ but it is not as he has said, for verily, Bakkar should not be accused of falsehood nor fabrication ; moreover Ibn A'di says of him, that he is among the doubtful authorities whose traditions are recorded, and has added ' I hope there is no harm in aecepting him as an authority ;" and on my life, the purport of this tradition is not far from the truth, for the Abbaside

* Abu'l Hasan A'li-'b-Omar. A Hafidh of great loaming and a Shafii doctor, was a native of BagMad—tlie name Darakutni means belonging to Daru'l Entn (cotton house) a quarter of Baghdad, born A. H. 306 (A. D. 919; and died A. H. 385

(A. I). 995). t The towns and villages of Babylonian I'rak. X Abu'l Faraj Ibn u'l Jauzi a celebrated preacher and doctor of the Hanbalites. His compositions are so numerous that it is said (with some exaggeration) that he wrote 180 pages a day ; and the parings of his pens were gathered up into a heap and in pursuance of his last orders, were employed to heat the water with which his corpse was washed. Bom about A. H. 508 (1114-5), died at Baghdad A. H. 597 (A. D. 1281). His " Fabricated Traditions" —is in 4 Vols. Ibn -KhaU. Saadi of Shiraz mentions him in thte G-ulistan as having counselled him to forego profane music, the neglect of which advice waa avenged on the sensitive ears of the poet, at a convivial meeting as therein related.

§ One of the prophet's wives. De Slaue so writes the name, but in a note (Vol. IV, p. 199,) he remarks that II according to Ibn Duraid, J.JAP should be pronounced A'kil. This is so in respect of the son of Abu Talib and Akil-b-Mukarrin the Companion, but U'kayl was the eponymous ancestor of a branch of the Hawazin who were of the tribe of i^ays. See the Muntaha'l Arab.

II One of the authorities in the line of ascription. [ 16 ] rule, at the time of its splendour, and the extension of its authority throughout the countries of the earth, towards the rising and the setting sun, besides the remote west, may be placed between the year one hundred and thirty and odd and the year 290 when al Muktadir reigned, and in his time, its organisation was broken up, and the whole west seceded from its sway : then followed dissension and trouble in his government and after him, as will appear. Thus the period of the glory of their sovereignty and their .dominion was about 160 years, and that is double the reign of the illustrious children of Umayyah for that lasted 92 years, from which must he deducted nine years, during which, the authority was vested in Ibn u'z

Zubayr : thus there remains 83 years and a fraction and that is a thousand months exactly and so I have afforded confirmation of the tradition.

Az Zubayr-b-Bakkar* records in his ' Muwaffakiyat, from Ibn Abbds, that he said to Mu'awiyah " ye shall not reign a day, but we shall reign two, and not a month but we shall reign two months, and not a year but we shall reign two years :" and, " the black standards shall be for us, the people of the prophetical House," and, " their overthrow shall not come save from the side of the west." Ibn A'sakir relates in his history of Damascus from Ibn A'bbasf that the' Apostle of God said to him " O God, defend A'bbds and the son of A'bbds," and he said this three times : then he exclaimed, " uncle, dost thou not know, that al Mahdi shall be of thy descendants,—the prospered of God, happy, and approved. " (al KarimiJ is

a fabricator) . Ibn Saa'd records in his Tabakat (classes) from Ibn A'bbas, that al A'bb&s the son of A'bdu'l Muttalib, sent to the children of A'bdu'l Muttalib, and he gathered them together about him and A'li held a place in his estimation which no other possessed, and al A'bbas said—" O son of my brother, verily I have formed an opinion and I do not wish to determine anything regarding it until I have sought counsel of thee ;" then A'li said—" What is it ?" He replied. " Go to the prophet and ask of him, in whom shall rest this authority after him and if it rest in. us, we

* Atu A'bdu'Uah az Zubayr, a member of the tribe of Kuraysh. He was Kadhi of Mecca and composed tbe genealogies of the Kuraysh, a standard authority on the < subject. also He taught traditions and died at Mecca A. H. 256 fa.. D. 870) aged 84. Ibn Khali. He named the book mentioned in the text after his son al Muwaffak to whom he dedicated it. Masudi Tome VII. p. 91. t Abu'l A'bbas A'bdu'Uah son of A'bbia uncle of Muljammad, born three years before the Hijrah. He was considered the ablest interpreter of the Koran of his day the and mos^ learned in the traditions, the legal decisions of the first three Caliphs, the law, and the sciences of poetry and arithmetic. Appointed governor of Basrah by the Caliph A'U, died at Taif A. H. 68 (A. D. 687) aged 70. Ibn KhaU. De Slane. X Al Karimi is one of the authoritaas in the line of ascription. [ 17 ]

shall not resign it, by Allah, while there remaineth of us a chief upon the earth, and if it rest in other than us, we shall never seek it." A'li said, " uncle, in whom shall abide this authority save in thee, and will any contend with you regarding this autliority ?"

Ad Daylami in his Musnad u'l Firdaus, records a tradition ascribed to the prophet " When God willoth to form any one for the Caliphate, he toucheth his forehead with His right hand."

On the dignity of the prophetic mantle which the Caliphs wore in succession to the very last.

As Silafi,* in his Tuydriyat, has quoted, with its ascription to al Asma'i,t on the authority of Ibn A'mr-b-i'l A'la, that when Kaa'b b-uz

Zubayr read out before the prophet his poem beginning Banat Su'ad,J lie

threw to him the mantle that was upon him ; and when Mu'awiyah reigned,

he wrote to Kaa'b saying, " sell me the mantle of the Apostle of God for ten thousand dirhams," but he refused, and when Kaa'b died, Mu'awiyah

Bent to his children an offer of twenty thousand dirhams, and he received from them the mantle, the same which was in the possession of the Caliphs of the House of A'bbas, and this has been related by others. But ad " .Dahabi says in his history ; regarding the mantle in the possession of the Caliphs of the House of A'bbas, verily Yunas-b-Bukayr relates from the account of the expedition of Tabiik of Ibn Ishak, that the prophet gave a mantle to the people of Aylah,§ with his letter, the same that he wrote

* ATdu'I Tahir Aljmad, called as Silafi after his grandfather, from the Persian (Seh lab) three lips —he received this name as one of his lips was s'plit and appeared double. He was a Hafidh and taught traditions and was appointed President of the College called after him, founded in A. H. 546 (1151) by al Aadil as Sallar at Alex- andria; bom at Ispahan 472 A. H. (1079) and died A. H. 576 (1180). Ibn Khali. The printed edition has Turyat for Tuyuriyat. t Abu Sa'id A'bdu'l Malik the celebrated philologer, a native of Basrah, but 'o:emoved to Baghdad in the reign of Hariin u'r Eashi'd. He was a complete master of the Arabic language and was consulted by al Mamiin on all doubtful points of litera-

ture ; for his numerous treatises, consult Ibn Khali, born A. H. 122 (740), died at Basrah 216 (831). X This well-known poem was recited before Muhammad on the poet's embracing Islam. He had written some satirical verses on the prophet, who in consequence ordered his followers to put him to death if they caught him. Kaa'b not caring to indulge his wit at the expense of his life, made his submission. The poem begins with the praise of his mistress Su'ad and ends with an entreaty of pardon.

§ On the Red Sea, the Elana of Ptolemy. 3 [ 18 ]

to them granting them immunity and. Abu'l A'bbas as Saffiah purchased

it for 300 dinars." I remark that that which Mu'awiyah bought was lost in the decline of the House of pmayyah. The Imam Ahmad b-Han- bal records in his " Zuhd" from TJ'rwah-b-uz Zubayr* that the garment in which the Apostle of God went out to meet deputations was a mantle from Hadhramaut, its length four cubits, and its breadth two cubits and a span, which was in the possession of the Caliphs, and it

became thread bare, and they lined it with stuffs and it used to be worn on the festivals of Adha and Fitr. Verily this mantle was in the possession

of the Caliphs, and they inherited it in succession, and wore it upon their shoulders, on state occasions, whether in assembly or mounted cavalcade, and it was upon al Muktadir when he was slain, and was stained with his blood, and I think it was lost during the irruption of the Tartars—" for we belong to God and unto him shall we return." (Kur II.)

On some observations which occur scattered throughout these hioffraphies, but the mention of which here in one place is most suitable and advantageous.

Ibn u'l Jauzi narrates that according to as Siili.f it is said that every sixth Caliph who ruled over the people was deposed, and adds " I reflected- this and observed it on with wonder. The supreme authority was vested in our prophet then there arose ; Abu Bakr, and Omar and Othman, and al Hasan A'li and —and he was deposed. Then Mu'awiyah and Yazid-b- and Mu'awiyah Mu'awiyah-b-Yazid and Marwan, and A'bdu'l Malik-b- and Ibn u'z Marwan Zubayr and he was deposed. Then al Walid and Sulayman and Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz and Yazid and Hisham and al Walid he was deposed. After and this the dominion of the House of Umayyah ceased, and as SafEah reigned, and al Mansur and al Mahdi and al Hadi and ar Eashid and al Amin and he w,is deposed. Then al Mamiin. and al Mua'tasim and al Wathik and al Mutawakkil and al Muntasir and al Musta'in and he was deposed. Then al Mua'tazz and al Muhtadi, and al

* Abu A'bdu'Uali, one of the seven great jurisconsults of Medina. His father az Zubayr b-A'wwam was one of the ten Companions to whom Muhammad promised Paradise. His mother was Asma-d. of Abu Bakr—born A. H. 22 (642-3) died A H 93 (711-2). Ibn Khali. Bakr as Suli known as the t Abu chess-player. He was an accomplished scholar and traditionist. He became one of the Caliph ar Radl.ii's' boon companions and was intimate with al Muktafi and al Muktadir. He composed numerous works ; the chief science he cultivated was biography, died at Ba?rah A. H. 336 (A. D 986-7) Ibn KhaU. [ 19 1

Mua'tamid, and al Mua'fcadhid and al Muktafi and al Muktadir and lie was deposed, and again a second time and then put to death. Then al Kahirand

ar Radhi and al Muttaki and al Mustakfi and al Mutii' and at Tail' and he was deposed. Then al Kadir and al Kaim and al Muktadi and al Mustadhir and

al Mustarshid and ar llashid and he was deposed " This is the end of the narration of Ibri u'l Jauzi Ad Dahabi says that what al Jauzi has mentioned is defective in several points. One of them is his statement, that A'bdu'l Malik was succeeded by Ibn u'z Zubayr, but this was not the case,

for Ibn u'z Zubayr was fifth and after him came A'bdu'l Malik. Either

both of them must be fifth, or one was the true paliph and the other a rebel, for unto Ibn u'z Zubayr was sworn a prior allegiance, and therefore the Caliphate of A'bdu'l Malik was legally established only from the time

when Ibn u'z Zubayr was killed. The second point is, his omitting to count Yazid An i\'akis and his brother Ibrahim wlio was deposed and Mar- wan; for thus computing them, al Amin would be the ninth. I remark

that it has already been said, that Marwan falls out of the account, because he was a rebel, and also Mu'avpiyah-b- Yazid, for allegiance was sworn to Ibn u'z Zubayr after the death of Yazid, and Mu'awiyah opposed

him in Syria : these two are therefore one, and the authority of Ibrahiih, he who succeeded Yazid An Nakis was not completely established, for some acknowledged him as Caliph, and others did not so acknowledge

him : and there were some who claimed for him the supreme power, but not the Caliphate, and he ruled but for forty or seventy days. Therefore according to this computation, Marwan the Ass,* was the sixth, for he was the twelfth from Mu'awiyah, and al Amin after him, the sixth. Thirdly, the deposals are not confined to every sixth, for al Mua'tazz was deprived of ofiice and likewise al Kahir, al Muttaki and al Mustakfi. I reply that his stctement is not affected by this objection because the meaning is, that as regards every sixth, the deposal is undoubted, but he does not deny that there were others besides them who were deposed as well. He adds in addition to what Ibn u'l Jauzi has stated, that after ar Rashid, reigned al Muktafi and al Mustanjid and al Mustadhii, and an Nasir and al Dhahir and al Mustansir who was the sixth but was not deposed. Then al Mus- ba'sina, and he was the same whom the Tartars slew, and was the last of the sovereign Caliphs. The Caliphate was interrupted subsequently for three years and a half; then al Mustansir afterwards was elected,

* " Before his accession to th.e throne" says Gibboa "he had deserved by his Geor- gian warfare, the honorable epithet of the Ass of Mesopotamia. He had been governor of Mesopotamia and the Arabic proverb praises the courage of that warlike breed of asses who never fly from an enemy. The surname of Mervan may justify the comparison of Homer (Iliad A 557) and both will silence the moderns who consider the ass a stupid and ignoble emblem." [ 20 ]

but hv did not actually assume the Caliphate, for he was acknowledged in Egypt and he inarched into Trak and encountered the Tartars aid was killed likewise, and the Caliphate remained in abeyance a year. Then it was established in Egypt, and the first of the Caliphs was al Hakim, then al al Mustakfi, then al WdthiTi, then al Hdkim, then al Mua'tadhid, then Mutawakkil who was the sixth and was deposed. Then reigned al Mua'- recalled. tasim hut he was deposed after fifteen . days and'al Mutawakkil

He was again deposed and al Wafchik acknowledged : then al Mua'tasim and he was deposed, and al Mutawakkil recalled who continued to reign

*tintil his death. Nest al Musta'in, and al Mua'tadhid and al Mustakfi,

then al Kaim, who was the sixth from al Mua'tasim the first (who was

also al Mua'tasim the second) and he was deposed. Then al Mustanjid

the reigning Caliph, the fifty first of the Caliphs of the House of A'bbas.

Note.. It is said thdt the House of A'bbas is distinguinhed hy a beginning, a middle, and an end—The beginning was al Mansiir, the middle al Mamun and the end al Mua'tadhid. The Caliphs of the House of

A'bbas, were all of them the children of concubines, except as SafEah, al Mahdi and al Amin, and no Hashimite, the son of a Hashimite woman,- ever ruled the Caliphate except A'li-b-Abi Talib and his son al Hasan, and al Amin (so says as Slili)—and no one whose name was A'li ever held the Caliphate except A'li the son of Abu Talib and A'li al Muktafi (ad Dahabi). I remark that the greater number of the names of the Caliphs occur but once, and few twice, and thos.e most frequently recm-ring are A'bdu'llah, Ahmad and MuhHUimad,—and all the surnames of the Caliphs occur singly up to al Musta'sim, the last of the Caliphs of Irak—Then recur the surnames of the Caliphs of Egypt—thus al jMustansir recurs, and al Mustakti, and al Wathik, and al R;iwim, and al Mua'tadhid, and al

Mutawakkil, and al Mua'tasim,* imd al Musta'in, and al Kaim, and al Mus-

tanjid. All of these recur but once, except al Mustakfi and al Mua'tadhid which recur once- oftener, for among the A'bbaside Caliphs, three are called by those two names.

Not one of the Caliphs of the House of A'bbas is distinguished oy a surname of the House of U'bayd, except al Kaim, al JHdkim, ad Dhahir and al Mustansir, but as regards al Mahdi and al Mansiir, the assumption of these surnames by the House,of A'bbas preceded the rise of the H^iuse

of U'bayd. And some writers have mentioned that none surnamed al Kahir was prosperous, either among the Caliphs or the temporal sovereigns, and 1 add also, al Mustakfi and al Musta'in, by which surnames two of the House of A'bbds were distinguished, and those two were deposed and expelled but al Mua'tadhid is among the most glorious of surnames and th«

* The text has Musta'sim incorrectly. The MS. is accurate in tlie name. [ 21 1 most blessed for hkn who was called by it. No one held the Caliphate after the son of his brothers, except al Mustakfi after ar Rashid, and al Mus- tansir after al Mua'tasim. Ad Dahabi states this, and adds that no three brothers possessed the Caliphate, except the sons of ar Rashid, viz., al Amin,

al Mamun, and al Mua'tasim, and the sons of al iVlutawakkil, viz., al Mus- tansir, al Mua'tazz and al Mua'tamid, and the sons of al Muktadir, viz., ar Eadhi, al Muktafi and al Mutii'. He continues, that four of the sons

of A'bdu'l Malik governed the state, and that no parallel to this is to be found, except among temporal sovereigns. I remark that a parallel case to it occurs among the Caliphs after the prophet, for four, nay five of the

sons of al Mutawakkil Muhammad, held the Caliphate, viz., al Musta'in,

and al Mua'tadhid, and al Mustakfi, and al Kaim and al Mustanjid the reigning Caliph. No one ruled the Caliphate during the lifetime of his father except Abu Bakr as Siddik, and Abu Bakr at Taii'-b-ul Mutii', whose father was struck by paralysis and who voluntarily abdicated in favour of his son.

The learned say that the first who governed the Caliphate while his

father was alive, was Abu Bakr, and he was the first who appointed a

successor, and the first who instituted a public treasury and the first who

named the Kuran al Mushaf. The first who was called, prince of the Faithful, was Omar-b-u'l Khattab, and he was the first who made use of

the scourge, and the first who established the date from the Flight, and

the first who ordered the prayers called at Tarawih,* and the first who established the public registers.

The first who interdicted pasturage from encroachment, was Othman,

and he was the first who assigned lands on feudal tenure, that is to say,

the first who did so to any extent, and the first who made tlie addition of

the call to prayer on Fridays, and the first who sanctioned a stipend for

the criers to prayer, and the first who was confused in speech while read-

ing the Khutbah, and the first who appointed a chief Officer of Consta- bulary.

The first who during his lifetime named an heir to succeed him, was Mu'awiyah, and he was the first who introduced eunuchs into his service. The first who ever caused the heads of criminnls to be brought before him was A'bdu'llah-b u'z Zubayr. The first who caused his name to be struck on the coinage, was A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwan. The first who prohibited his being addressed by name was al Walid-b-A'bdi'l Malik.

The first introduction of surnames, was by the House of A'bbas. Ibn Fadhli'llah says that some think that the House of Umayyah had sur-

* A form of prayer performed at some period of the night, ia the month of Eama- dh^n, after the ordinary prayer of nightfall consisting of twenty or more le'kahs, according to different persuasions. Lane's Lex. Art. Iksijji [ 22 ]

names similar to those of the House of A'bbas. I remark that certain writers assert the surname of Mu'awiyah to have been an Nasir li dlni'llah, and the surname of Yazid, al Mustansir, and that of Mu'awijah his son,

fir Eaji' ili'l Hakk, and that of Marwan, al Mtitamin bi'llah and that of

A'bdu'l Malik, al Muwaffak li' amri'llah, and that of his son al Walid, al

Muntakim bi'llah, and that of Omar b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, al Ma'sum bi'llah, and that of Yazid-b-Abdi'l Malik, al Kadir hi Sana' i'llah, and that of Yazid

an Nakis, as Shakir li anu'mi'llah.

The iirst time that public opinion became conflicting and disunited

was in the reign of as Saffah. The first Caliph who gave access to astrologers and acted according to the judgments of the stars was al Mansur, and he

was the first who employed slaves in ofiices of trust and gave them prece-

dence over Arabs. The first who ordered the composition of polemical writings to refute the enemies of the Faith was al Mahdi. The first before whom men walked with swords and maces, was al Hadi. The first who played at polo in the open plain was ar Rashid. In the reign of al Amin, the Caliph was first addressed by word and in writing, by his surname. Al Mua'tasim was the first who employed Turks in the office of the public registers. Al Mutawakkil was the first who ordered a distinguishing garb for Jews and Christians. The first whom the Turks adjudged to death

was al Mutawakkil : and from this is seen the confirmation of the prophetical tradition as quoted by at Tabarani by a respectable line of ascription, from Ibn Masa'ud who stated that the Apostle of God said, " Molest not the Turks, as long as they leave ye unmolested, for verily they who shall first take from my people their kingdom and the things which the Lord hath conferred upon them, are the sons of Kantdra."*

The first who invented large sleeves and diminished the size of the head-dress was al Musta'in. Al Mua'tazz was the first Caliph who intro-

duced ornaments of gold on riding animals. Al Mua'tamid was the first Caliph treated with severity and kept under restraint and guarded. The first who ruled the Caliphate among minors was al Muktadir. The last Caliph who kept the troops and public effects under his personal direction was ar Itadhi, and he too was the last Caliph, whose poems were collected into a Diwan, and the last Caliph who uniformly read the Khutbah and prayed before the people, and the last Cali[)h who sat in company with boon companions, and the last Caliph whose expenses and gifts and rewards, retinue, and stipend, and treasury and meats and drinks and festal assemblies, and chamberlains, and other affairs were conduoled after the manner of the

* Banu 5.antura, Turks or Nubians according to the Muntahal u'l Arab, or as some siiy Kantdra waa the name of a slave of Abraham's, from whom the Turks are duscended. —:

[ 23 ]

'early Calipbate ; and he was the last Caliph who went journeying in garments like unto the Caliphs of former times.

The first time that surnames recurred was after the reign of al Mus- tansir, he who ruled after al Musta'^im. {This is mentioned in the Awail of al A'skari*). The first Caliph who reigned during his mother's lifetime, was Othman-b-AfEan, then al Hadi, and ar Rashid, and al Amin and al

Mutawakkil, al Mustansir, al Musta'in, al Mua'tazz, al Mua'tadhid and al Mutii'. No one held the Caliphate during the lifetime of his father, except Abu Bakr as Siddik, and to him-may be added at Taii'. " A's Siili says : I know of no woman who gave birth to two Caliphs, except Wiladah, the mother of al Walid and as Sulayman, the two sons

of Ahdu'l Malik ; and Shahin, the mother of Yazid an Nakis and Ibrahim,

the two sons of al Walid ; and Khayzurdn, the mother of al Hadi dnd ar Rashid." I remark, that there may be added, the mother of al A'bbas and Hamzah, and the mother of Daulid and Sulayman, the children of the last Mutawakkil. Those who assumed the title of Caliph, of the House of U'bayd, were

fourteen : three in Africa, al Mahdi, al Kaim, and al Mansiir, and eleven in Egypt, al Miii'zz, al A'ziz, ad Dhahir, al Mustansir, al Musta'li, al Amir,

al Hafidh, ad Dhafir, al Faiz and al A'adhid. The beginning of their rule was in the year two hundred and ninety and odd, and its extinction in the year 567. Ad Dahabi says that this may be called the Magian or the Jewish dynasty, but not that of the descendants of A'li, or the Batinitef not the Fatimite, and they were fourteen violaters of covenants not successors to the vicegerency, (here he ends). Those who assumed the title of Caliph among the descendants of

Umayyah in the West, J were in a better position than the descendants of

* Al Hasan-b-A'tdi'llah-ti-Sahl. Atu Hilal al A'skari, a diseiplo of Abu Ahmad

Commentaxy on the :^uran in 5 Vols. : the Awail (Initions) al A'skari ; author of a a work on prose and vei-se, and another on Proverbs. A scholar of exemplary life. Died subsequently to the year 400 A. H. (1009). Tabakat u'l Mufassirin, as Suyuti Edit. Mearsinge. No. 29. t U'baydu'Uah, the founder of this dynasty, claimed descent from Ismail-b- Jaa'far the seventh Imam of the posterity of Ali, and his descendants are termed by the Orien- distinguish from another tal writers tlie Ismailites of the West to them branch of the same race, the Ismailites of the East. These latter were the famous assassins, of the !]^uran, called also Batinis from their mystical interpretation under whose hundred years. terrible daggers, the East crouched for two t The Arabs termed Spain and Africa, indifferently, the West (Al Maghrab) The word "' Afrikiya," which they sometimes use, is not the whole but only a portion D'Herbelot. of al Maghrab. For its divisions, consult [ 24 ]

U'baydu'Uah in many ways, as rer/ards orthodoxy, and tradition and justice and merit, and knowledge, and battling and warring with infidels, and they were many in number, so that there were together at one time in Spain, six persons, each of them calling himself Caliph.

Some former writers have compiled histories of the Caliphs : among them, that by Niftawayh the Grammarian, in two volumes, up to the reign

of al Kahir, and the Aurak of as Suli, in which he has mentioned the Abbasides only up to* —with which I am acquainted, and the history of the Caliphs by Abu'l Padhl Ahraad-b-Abi Tahir al Marwazi, al Katib one

of the most excellent of poets who died in the year 280 A. H.- ; and the history of the Abbaside Caliphs by Amir Abu Musa Hariin-b-Muhammad

al A'bbasi. Al Khatib in his History, records with authorities from Muhammad b-A'bbad that none of the Caliphs knew the Kuran by heart, except 0th- man-b-A'ffan and al Mainun. I remark, that that restriction is not to pass unchallenged, fur Abu Bakr knew it accurately also, and several auiJiors have made this clear, among them an Nawawi in his Tahdib u'l

Asma ; and of Ali likewise it is handed down by one line of tradition th.it he had the whole of it by heart, after the death of the prophet. Ibn u's

Saa'i says—" I was present at the ceremony of allegiance sworn to the Caliph ad Dbablr, and he was^ seabed at the window of a chamber in a white robe, and about him a cloak of camel's hair, and upon his shoulders, the mantle of the prophet : the wazir was standing in front of him upon a pulpit, and the Comptroller of the Household upon a step below him, and he was taking the covenant from the people : and the words of the covenant were, " I do homage to our lord and master the Imam, to whom obedience is a bounden duty upon all men, Abu Nasr Muhammad aji^ Dhahir bi'amr'illah according to the boolc of God, and the law of the prophet and the decision of the prince of the faithful, and verily there is no Caliph but he."

* The MS. has here a blank—the text inserts J^s*-^ ^^\. As SuK died in A. H 335 and as his History professes only to relate what he had himself seen (see Kashfu'd Dhunun), the blank might be filled up with the name of al Mutii li'llah who succeeded to the Caliphate in A. H. 334. [ 25 1

Ahu Bah' as Siddik.

Abu'Bakr'as Siddik, the vicegerent of the apostle of God whose name is A'bdu'Uah-b-Abi Kuhafah Othman, b-A'amir, b-A'mr, b-Kaa'b, b-Saa'd, b-Taym, b-Murrah, b-Kaa'b, b-Luwayy, b-Ghalib, al Kurayshi, at Taymi, unites with the genealogy of the Apostle of God in Murrah."* An Nawawi in his Tahdib says " What I have stated regarding the name of Abu Bakr being A'bdu'Uah, is correct, and well known. It is said also, that his name was Atik {the Liberated), but the truth upon which all the learned B,re agreed is, that al A'tik was his surname, not a name, and he was surnamed al A'tik on account of his exemption from hell firef as has come down in the tradition given by at Tirmidi : and it is also said, on account of the " itakat" of his countenance, that is to say, its comeliness and its beauty. It is said likewise that there is nothing in his genealogy which can be found fault with. Musa'b-b-uz Zubayr and others say, that the people concurred in naming him as Siddik (Witness to the Truth), because he hastened to testify to the Apostle of God, and steadfastly adhered to truth, and there never escaped from him on any one of the many events of his life any remissness or hesitation, and he held exalted positions in Islam. Among those events, were his conduct regarding the Nocturnal journey, and his steadfastness and reply to the unbelievers regarding it, and his flight with the Apostle of God, and his forsaking his family and children, and his being with the Apostle in the cave, and throughout the

whole journey : then his exhortations on the day of Badr, and the day of HudaybiyahJ when the delay in entering Mecca, was the occasion of grave

* Murrah

f ^ Tamim Kilab

Saa'd

Kaa'b A'bd Manaf

A'mr Hashim

A'amir A'bdu'l Muttalib

I I Abu :^uhafa A'bdu'Uah

Abu Bakr Muhammad, this distinction, Omar, t Nine others are included by Muhammad as sharing Sa'id, Abu U'baydah, and Othman, A'li, Talhah, az Zubayr, Saa'd Ibn Abi "Wakkas, A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Auf. Sale "-when at Hudaybiyah sent Ja-ww£s-b-Ommeyya J "Muhammad" says a peaceable intention the Khozaite to acquaint the Mecoans that he was come with

4i [ 26 ]

" doubts to others : then his weeping when the Apostle of God said Verily, :" God hath given his servant a choice between this world and the next then his firmness on the day of the death of the Apostle of God, and his

reading the Khutbah to the people and consoling them : then, in the contention regarding the oath of allegiance, his undertaking the charge for the

good of the true believers : next, his diligence in despatching the army

of Usamah-b-Zayd to Syria, and his determination regarding it : then his rising up to oppose the apostates, and his dispute with the Companions, until he overwhelmed them with arguments-and God opened their hearts as He had opened his heart to the understanding of the truth, viz., to do,

battle with the apostates : then his fitting out the army for Syria for his

conquests and sending it succour : lastly the conclusion of this career by an important action which was among the best of his good deeds, and the most glorious of his titles to honor, and that was, his appointing Omar

as his successor over the true believers : and what virtues, and dignities, and excellencies without number belong not to the Witness to the Truth ?" (an Nawawi). I add that I am desirous of enlarging upon the biography of as Siddik to some extent, mentioning therein much of what I know of him regarding his life, and I shall arrange this in sections.

^Regarding his name and surname an allusion to which has already preceded.

Ibn Kathir* says, that all admit that his name was A'bdu'llah-b-Oth- mdn, except the narration of Ibn Saa'd on the authority of Ibn Sirin f which asserts his name to have leen A'tik whereas the truth is that it was his surname. Then there is some disagreement as to the time of his being so surnamed, and the reason of it : for some say that it was on account of to visit the temple, but they refusing to admit him, he sent Othmiin whom they imprisoned and a report ran that he was slain whereupon, Muhammed called hia men about him and they took an oath to be faithful to him even to death." * The H£fidh I'mfidu'ddin Isma'il-b-Abdu'Uah ad Damashki died in 774 A. H. The name of hia well known history is the " Biddyah wa'l Nihdyah fi't Tdrikh"—« the beginning and the end of history." Consult. Haj. Khal. t Abu Bakr Muljammad a native of Basrah. He was bom A. H. 33 (A. D. 653 two years before 4) the death of the Caliph Othmdn and died at Basrah A. H. 110 (A. D. 729). He was a draper by profession, deUvered traditions on the authority of Abu Hurayra and others and was skiUed in the interpretation of dreams. Ibn Khali. —

[ 27 ]

the " i'tdkat" of his countenance that is, its beauty—but Abu Nua'ym al Fadhl-b-Dukayn says, that it was on account of his priority* in merit

and also it is said, on account of the nobility of his pedigree, that is its purity, as there is nothing in his lineage that can be accounted a stain, and it is said too that he was first so named and afterwards called A'bdu'llah. At Tabardni relates from al Kasim-b-Muhammadf that he questioned Ayesha as to the name of Abu Bakr, and she replied, " A'bdu'llah ;" then he said that the people called him A'tik ; she answered that Abu Kuhafah had three sons whom he named Atik, Mua'tak, and Mua'ytak. Ibn MandahJ and Ibn A'sakir record on the authority of Mlisa-b- JTalhah that he said, "I asked my father Talhah, why Abu Bakr was called A'tik ;" he replied, "his mother had no son surviving and when she

' gave him birth, she took him to the temple and exclaimed, O God ! if this one is granted immunity from death, then bestow him upon me.' " At "Tabarani records from Ibn A'bbas, that he was called A'tik from the beauty of his countenance, and Ibn A'sakir from Ayesha that she said " the name of Abu Bakr, that by which his family called him, was A'bdu'llah, but the name of A'tik superseded it"—and in one reading, " but the prophet named him A'tik."

Abu Ta'la§ records in his Musnad (likewise Ibn Saa'd and al Hakim) and confirms it on the testimony of Ayesha, that she said. " By Allah verily I was in my house on a certain day and the Apostle of God and his Companions were in the courtyard, and a curtain between me and them, and " lo ! Abu Bakr came up, and the prophet said, he who would rejoice in looking upon one exempted from hell fire, let him behold Abu Bakr," and verily his name, that by which his family called him was A'bdu'llah but the name of A'tik superseded it." And at Tirmidi and al Hakim from Ayesha, " that Abu Bakr went to the Apostle of God and he said. O ! Abu Bakr, thou art exempted by the Lord from hell fire," and from that day, he was called A'tik. Al Bazzar and at Tabarani record on good authority from A'bdu'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr, that the name of Abu Bakr was A'bdu'llah, and the Apostle of God said to him " thou art exempted by the Lord from hell fire ;" thus he received the name of A'tik.

* A'tik signifying: also ancient, noble. t Grandson of Abu Bakr one of the most eminent of tbe Tabi'is and of tbe seven great jurisconsults of Medina. Ibn Khali. traditionist a Hafidh of X Abu A'bdu'Uah-b-Mandah a celebrated and high authority, author of a history of Ispahan, died A. H. 301, (A. D. 913-4J. Ibn Khali. collection of traditions § Hafldh Abu Ya'la A^ad author of a well known and of works on ascetic devotion and other subjects, born at ilosal A. H. 210 (826) died A. H. 307, (919-20). De Slane, I. K. [ 28 ]

As regards as Siddik, it is said that he was so called in the time of ignorance, because he was distinguished for his love of truth. (Ibn certify Mandah*) ; and also because he hastened to to the truth of the prophet with regard to what he announced. Ibn Ishakf records on the authority of Hasan al BasriJ andKatadah,§ that the first time he was known by it was the morning after the " Noc- turnal Journey." Al Hakim relates in his Mustadrak (Supplement) on the authority of Ayesha, that the idolaters went to Abu Bakr and said " What dost thou think of thy companion, who pretends that he was borne by night to Jerusalem ?" He replied, " and did he say that ?" They answered " yes ;" then he said' " Verily he hath spoken the truth, and indeed I would testify to him in more than that, even to the announcement of Ms journey to Heaven, going in the morning and returning in the evening," and for this he was called the Witness to the Truth. (The authorities are good). Sa'id-b-Mansur narrates in his " Traditions" from Ibn Wahab, the freedman of Abu Hurayrah that when the Apostle of God returned on the " night of his Nocturnal journey, he arrived at Du Tua|| and said, O ! Gabriel, verily my people will not believe me." He replied " Abu Bakr will testify to thee, for he is a Witness to the Truth." Al Hakim in his Mustadrak, (Supplement) records on the authority of Nazal- b-Sabrah that he tells us, " I said unto 'Ali, Prince of the Faith, ful tell me of Abu Bakr." He replied " The Lord named that man as

* So the MS. ; the text has Ibn Masada who was one of al Mamun's vizirs, an. elegant writer but not stated by Ibn Khallakau to be a traditionist. + Muhammad-b-Ishak-b-Yasfa the freedman. of Kays-b-Makhramah. Tasar was one of the prisoners taken al A'yuu't Tamr, sent by KhaHd-b-Walid to Abu Bakr at Medina. He is held by the majority of the learned to be a sure authority on tradition and his work the "Maghazi wa'e Siyar (conquests and expeditions) bears a high character. He went to the Caliph Abu Jaa'far al Mansur at Hira and put the Maghazi in writing for his use and the learned of Kufa heard him read and explain that work ; died at Baghdad A. H. 151, (768). Ibn KhaU.

X Abu Sa'i'd al ^asan of Basrah one of the most eminent of the Tabi'i's, his mother was slave a of TJmm Salimah one of the prophet's wives. He was born at Medina two years before the death of the Caliph Omar and died al Basrah A. H. 110 (728) Ibn KhaU.

§ !^atfidah-b-Dyama as Sadusi, a native of Basrah and one of the Tabi'is, blind from birth, but of the greatest learning, much consulted by the Ummyyad family on points of history, genealogy and poetry, born A. H. 60, (679-80), died at Wasit A H 117, (735-6). Ibid. A village near Mecca, II not to be confounded with the valley of Tria or Tawa according to Sale, where Moses saw the burning bush, (Kur xx.) consult Tdkfit Mua'j. Bui. .

[ 29 1

Siddik by the tongue of Gabriel and by the tongue of Muhammad. He was the vicegerent of the Apostle of God in public prayei'S. He ap^ proved him for our spiritual concerns, and we have acquiesced in him for our worldly government." (The authorities for this are good). And Dara-

kutni and al Hakim from Abu Yahya.* " It is beyond computation how often I have heard A'li say upon the pulpit that the Lord named Abu Bakr, as Siddik upon the tongue of Gabriel ;" and at Tabarani on good unexceptionable authorities from Hakim-b Saa'd, " I have heard A'li declare and confirm by oath, that God undoubtedly revealed from Heaven, the name of Abu Bakr as as Siddik. In the tradition relative to the Battle of Ohud, the propJiei said, " Be

at peace, for verily unto you there is ffiven a prophet, a witness to the truth and two martyrs." The mother of Abu Bakr was the daughter of his father's uncle. Her name was Salma, the daughter of Sakbar, b-A'amir, b-Kaa'b and she received the surname of the " mother of goodness" (Ummu'l Khayr)

On Ms Nativity and place of hirth.

He was born two years and some months after the birth of Muhammad for he died when he was sixty-three years of age. Ibn Kathir says,

that what is recorded by Khalifah-b-u'l Khayyat,t on the authority of Yazid- b-u'l Asamm, viz., that the prophet said to Abu Bakr " Verily am I the greater or art thou ?" and he replied " thou art greater, but I am older in years," is a tradition of an imperfect lino of ascription and cited but by one

authority, for the contrary is notorious, and indeed confirmed on the authority of Ibn A'bbas. His birthplace was Mecca which he never left except to trade, and he was the possessor of great wealth in his tribe, and a man of perfect genero-

sity, courtesy, and beneficence among them ; as Ibn u'l Dughannah says, " Verily thou art affectionate to thy kindred and speakest the truth in what thou narratesfc, and acquirest what others are denied and givest help in worldly troubles, and art hospitable to the stranger." An Nawawi says that he was one of the chiefs of the Kuraysh in the time of Ignorance, and one of their conncillors, and beloved among them, and the wisest in

* The MS. has Atu'l Hayya. There are no less than eleven of this name given by Ibn Hajr as being acquainted with Muhammad. t Abu A'mr surnamed Shabab a native of Basrah and author of the Tabakat, was a HAfidh versed in history and of great talents. Al Bukhari gives traditions on his authority, 4ied A. H. 2iO, (A. D. 864-3). Consult. Ibn KhaU—who omits the def. article before Khayyat. [ 30 ]

the true faith came, he chose it the direction of their affairs ; and when submission. above all things and entered it with the most perfect Az Zubayr-b-Bakkar and Ibn Asakir record on the authority of Ma'rdf- b-kharrablid, that Abu Bakr as Siddik was one of ten amongst the Kuraysh to whom attached pre-eminence both in the time of Ignorance, of 'blood-money and fines, and and Islam : for upon him lay the settlement that was because the Kuraysh had no king upon whom the direction of all affairs might devolve : moreover in each tribe there existed a general jurisdiction exercised by its several chiefs, and to the Banu Hashira pertained the right of Sikayah and Eifadah,* the meaning of which is, that no one might eat or drink except of their food and their drink ; and to the Banu A'bdu'd Dar, the office of door-keeper and guardian of the Kaa'hah, and the Banner and the Council, that is to say, no one might enter the Kaa'bah except with their permission, and when the Kuraysh fastened on the banner of war, the Banu A'bdu'd Dar bound it for them, and when they assembled together for any purpose either to confirm or to annul, their gathering could not take place except in the Hall of Council and nothing could take effect, save done therein and it appertained to the Banu iftdu'd Dar. Abu Bakr was the most abstinent of men in the time of Ignorance. " Ibn A'sakir records with accurate authorities from Ayesha ; by Allah, Abu Bakr never recited poetry,t whether in the time of ignorance or Islam, and indeed he and Othman-forbore from wine even in the time of Ignorance ;" and Abn Nua'ym records from her on excellent authority, " Verily Abu Bakr denied himself wine in the time of Ignorance ;" and Ibn Asakir from Abdu 'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr, " Abu Bakr never recited a verse ;" and from

* Eifadah was a contribution which the trite of the Kuraysh made in the time of Ignorance, for the purpose of purchasing for the pilgrims, wheat and raisins for the

beverage called AJjAJ. Bach gave according to his ability, and thus they collected

a great sum in the days of the assembling of the pilgrims. And they continued to

feed the pilgrims until the end of those days ; the " Sil^ayah" was the supplying this beverage and Eifadah, -these provisions. Lane. t The Kuran though not directly forbidding yet discredits the profession of verse " making. 4j (j**^! i[j j*^\ 8^i*J^ I* We have not taught (Muhammad) the art

of poetry nor is it expedient fer him," Kur. XXXVI. Sale remarks that this was in answer to the infidels who pretended that the Kuran was only a poetical composi-

tion. Again uyjWl /ni*^i M«Jt Kur. XXVI. "Those err who follow the steps of the poets." But the learned have determined that moral, didactic and religious poetry

is permissible. There are verses imputed to the great Shdfi'i in which he declares that were not men of his cloth prohibited from writing poetry, he would Jiave surpassed Labid. [ 81 ]

Abu'l A'aliyah av Riahi, that it was asked of Abu Bakr in an assembly of the Companions of the Apostle of God " didst thou ever drink wine in the ?" time of Ignorance ?" he replied " God forbid," and they said, " why not He answered, " 1 sought to preserve my reputatiop and retain my decorum, and verily he who drinketh wine destroyeth his reputation and his decorum." The narrator says that when this reached the apostle of God, he said," Abu Bakr hath spoken truly Abu Bakr hath spoken truly," twice. This

-tradition is wanting in regularity of transmission and is cited but by one authority hothias regards authorities and the text.

On his outward description.

Ibn Saa'd relates on the authority of Ayesha that a man said to her, " describe to me Abu Bakr,' and she replied, " he was a man of a very fair

complexion, of slender build, thin cheeked and with a stoop ; he could not

keep up his lower garments from slipping over his loins ; he was lean, with eyes deep set, his forehead prominent, and the backs of his hand fleshless. Such is his description. He states also on her authority, that Abu Bakr

made use of the tinctures of hinna* and katam ; and on the authority off Anas, that when the apostle of God went to Medina, there was none among the companions with grizzled hair, except Abu Bakr, and he dyed it with binna and katam.

On his embracing the faith.

At Tirmidi, and Ibn Haban in his Sahih, (authentic traditions) record on the authority of Abu Sa'idJ al Khudri, that Abu Bakr said " Have not " I the greatest claim among men to it," that is, the Caliphate ; was not I the first to embrace the faith ? was it not I who did such a thing ? was it not I who did such another thing ?" And Ibn A'sakir on the ascription of al Harith from A'li, that he said, " the first who embraced the faith

* Lawsonia inermia,—the Katam is a herb which mixed with cypress is used as a tincture. t Abu Sulayt Anas b-Abi Anaa, one of the Banu Najjar, he was a companion of Muhammad and fought on his side at Badr. De Slane I. K. I Abu Sa'id Saa'd b-Malik of the tribe of Khudra a Companion and an Ansar of the third class. At the age of 13, he accompanied his father to Ohud who fell at that battle. The son accompanied Muljammad in twelve expeditions, died at Medina A. H.

74 (693-4). De Slane I, K. [ 33 ]

among the men was Abu Bakr" ; and Khaythamah* on accurate authoritiea from Zayd-b-Arkam,t " the first man who prayed with the prophet, was Abu Bakr as Siddik" and Ibn Saa'd on the authority of Abu Arwa ad Dausi the Companion, that the first who embraced Islam was Abu Bakr as Siddik. At Tabarani in his Kabir, and 'Abdu'llah b-Ahmad in the " Zawaidu' Zuhd," record on the authority of as Shaa'biJ that he said, ",I asked Ibn A'bbas what man was the first to embrace Islam ?" he replied, " Abu Bakr as Siddik. Hast thou not heard the words of Hassan§ where he says ? " When thou rememberest the afl[iiction of a faithful brother. Then remember too thy brother Abu Bakr and what he hath done. The best of men, the most pious and most just of them Save the prophet and the most faithful in performing what he hath undertaken. The second,|| the follower, the place of whose witnessing is extolled

And the first among those who have borne witness to the prophets." Abu Nua'ym records on the authority Pur^t-b-Saib that he said, " I inquired of Maymiin-b-Mihran saying, ' is Ali the most excellent in thy opinion, or Abu Bakr, or Omar ?' " He trembled so that the staff fell from his hand and then replied " I never thought that I should live to the time when any one should be compared to those two—to God be attributed their good deeds—they two were the chief in Islam." I said " then was Abu Bakr the first to embrace IsMm or Ali ?" he answered " By Allah, verily Abu Bakr believed in the prophet in the time of Buhayra, the monk^ ou

* Abu Khaythamah Zuhayr an eminent traditionist of Nasa who settled at Bagh- dad and died A. H. 234 (A. D. 849). De Slane I. K. + One of the Companions, accompanied Muhammad in seventeen expeditions settled at Kufah and died there A. H. 56 or as some say 68, An Nawawi. J Abu Amr A' amir sprang from Himyar and was accounted a member of the tribe of Hamdan of which Shaa'b is a branch. He held high rank among the Tabi'is and was distinguished for his learning, born about A. H. 19, died A. H. 104 (722). Ibn KhaU.

§ IJassan-b-Thabit was one of the poets who espoused the cause of Muhammad. His son A'bdu'r Eahman lived under Mu'awiyah and used to address complimentary poems to Eamla, daughter of that Caliph. De Slane I. K. For his elegy on Muljam- mad's death see Weil. Leben Muhammad. Vol. II, p. 356.

Abu Bakr, is referred to tj'»U.4 lit (yJ-i-*! II in Kur IX asj'*^' ^^\ "the second of the two when they two were in the cavo."

IT Muhammad was reclining under a lote tree says Ibn Hajr, while Abu Baler was conversing with Buhayra. The latter asked him who it was, that was seated there ; he replied that it was Muhammad the son of A'bdu'llah. " Then by Allah, said Buhayra, he is the prophet for none has taken shelter under that tree since the time of Jesus the Son of Mary." This impressed itself on Abu Bakr's mind and was the [ 33 ]

the occasion of his meeting him." Accouniis va.vy a,s to priority in Islam between him and Khadijah when he procured her marriage with the prophet* and all this was before A'li was born, and verily there are many among the Companions and their immediate successors, and others who say,

that he was the first to embrace Islam, indeed, some of them assert that

there is universal assent to this. Again, it is said that A'li was the first to join the true faith, and some say, Khadijah, but there is a reconciliation of these accounts, in that Abu Bakr was the first to embrace the faith among, men, A'li among children and Khadijah among women and the first who pointed out this reconciliation, was Abu Hanifah from whom Na'aym

quotes it. Ibn Abi Shaybahf and Ibn A'sakir record on the authority of Salim- b-Abi Jaa'd that he said, " I asked of Muhammad-b-Hanifah,—was Abu Bakr the first of the people to adopt Islam ?" He replied—" no." I said,

" for what reason then is he exalted and preferred,' so that no one speaks of any but Abu Bakr?" He replied, " because he was the most excellent "of them in Islam, from the time he embraced the faith until he attained to his God." And Ibn A'sakir on a reliable ascription from Muhammad- b-Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkds,J that he said to his father Saa'd,—" was Abu Bakr as Siddik the first of you in embracing the faith ?" He said. " No, for there were more than five in the faith before him but he was the best of us in Islam."

Ibn Kathir says, " it is clear that Muhammad's family believed before every other—his wife Khadijah, his freedman Zayd and the wife of Zayd Umm-i-Ayman and A'li and Warakah." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of I'sa-b-Tazid that Abu Bakr said, "I was seated in the courtyard of the Kaa'bah where Zayd-b-A'mr-b-Nufayl was sitting, when there passed by him Umayyah-b-Abi Salt§ and he said. " How art thou, thou

cause of Hs early conversion. I may add that Ibn Hajr discords as erroneous the opinion held hy Ibn Athir (and adopted by Sprenger) that this Buhayra was the same person as the one who figures in a deputation to Muhammad from the king of Abyssi- nia forty years afterwards. * By assisting Muhammad with money on that occasion as is generally beHeved. t The Hafidh Othman a native of Ktifah, died A. H. 239 (A. D. 853-4). He com-

posed a commentary on the Kuran and a collection of traditions : 30,000 persons are said to have attended his lessons. De Slane I. K. t Abu Ishak Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkds, a descendant of A'bdu Manat was by his own account the third convert to Islam, he being then 17 years of age. He fought in

aU the prophet's battles ; his death occurred between A. H. 50-8. De Slane I. K.

§ He was a poet of some reputation of the tribe of Thakif. Ibn Hajr says that he was an enquirer after truth, but more for the curiosity of the discovery than with

intent to follow it. " His verses,". said Muhammad " are pious enough but his heart 5 !

[ 34 ]

" " haat thou seeker after good ?" He answered well." The other said

' :' other said— discovered anything ?" He replied No then the save that founded of God in " Every religion in the day of judgment : truth, shall perish,"

But regarding the prophet, he that men look for, shall he be from among us or from among you ?" Abu Bakr continues, " and I, had not heard before that of a prophet expected who was to be sent." He adds. " Then I went out to Waraka'-b-Naufal* and he was one who con. stantly watched the heavens and muttered frequently to himself and I stopped him and related to him the circumstance. He said " Tea—O sou of my brother, I am skilled in the scriptures and in knowledge ; know, that this prophet, he whom men await, shall be by descent of the most noble of the Arabs. I am likewise skilled in genealogy, and thy tribe is by descent, the most noble among the Arabs." I said. " O uncle, and what will the prophet say ?" He replied, " he shall speak that which hath been said to him, and know, that he shall not oppress nor be oppress- • ed nor desire you to oppress each other." Therefore when the Apostle of God was sent, I believed in him and testified to him." Ibn Ishak says, that he heard from MuHammad-b-Abdi'r Eahman-b- Abdi'Uah b-i'l Ha?in at Tamimi that the Apostle of God said, " I never

called any one to the true faith but there arose in him an aversion to it, and an irresolution and deliberation, except Abu Bakr who delayed not from it when I spoke to him, and did not hesitate therein." Al Bayhaki says " and this was because he had been accustomed to behold the proofs of the prophetic mission of the Apostle of God, and to hear its traditions,

before his call, and when the prophet summoned him, then verily thought and deliberation had passed by for him and he at once embraced Islam." He then records on the authority Abu Maysarahf that when the Apostle of God went forth, he used to hear one calling to him " O Muhammad," and he heard voice when the he would turn fleeing : he told this in secret to Abu Bakr who was his intimate friend in the time of Ignorance." Abu Nua'aym and Ibn A'sakir record on the authority of Ibn A'bbas that the Apostle of God said, " I never spoke to any one regarding Islam but he denied me and rejected my words, save the son of Abu Kuhafa and

is unbelieving." There is a doubt whether he was ever converted, but by spme he is considered a Companion. His excuse for not testifying to the prophet was, that he had once hinted to his tribe that he himself was likely to be the prophet to come. • A cousin of Muljammad's said to have been a convert to Christianity and to have been acquainted with the Scriptures, and to have transcribed some portions of the Gospels into Hebrew or Arabic' See Muir, Vol. II. p, 61. t Tie froedman of al A'bbaa-b-Abdi'l Muttalib. Ibn Hajr. 35 ] , [

yerily I never said unto him a thing but he acquiesced in it and was steadfast therein." And al Bukhdri from Abu'd Darda* that the apostle of God said, " will ye not leave un.to me my companion ? verily I said, ! men, I am

the apostle of God unto ye all, and ye said " thou liest," and Abu Bakr said "thou hast spoken truly."

On Ms companionship with the prophet and the expeditions which he accompanied.

The learned say that Abu Bakr accompanied the prophet from the time he embraced Islam to his death, and never separated himself from him either in journeying or residence at home, except when he had per-

mission to depart on account of pilgri^nage or war ; and he was present

with him in all his expeditions, and acompanied him in his flight, and forsook his family and children with cheerfulness for the sake of God and his Apostle, and he was his companion in the cave. The Lord called him, " the second of the two when tht-y two were in the cave" when the prophet said to his companion, " be not sad for God is with us," and he assisted the Apostle of God on other occasions. Splendid, were his services in the of Ohud and the day of Hunayn when wars : he was steadfast on the day the people fled, as will appear in the chapter on his courage. Ibn A'sakir records on the testimony of Abu Hurayrah, that the " See ye not as angels took part in the battle of Badr and they said ?" and al Siddik with the Apostle of God in a shed And Abu Ya'la Hakim " of God said to me and and Ahmad from A'li that he said, the Apostle " with one of you two is Gabriel and with to ^bu Bakr on the day of Badr, A'sdkir from Ibn Sirin, that A'bdu'r the other Michael." And Ibn Badr was on the side of the Eahman the son of Abu Bakr on the day of to Islam, he said to his father," verily, idolaters, and when he was converted day of Badr, but I turned thou wert exposed as a mark to me on the Bakr said, " as to thee, hadst away from thee and did not slay thee." Abu turned away from thee." thou come before me, I should not have

narration will be found in * One of the Companions.' The particulars of this Bukhari's aa Sahib- Vol. VI, Kitabu'l Manakib. [ 36 ]

On Ms lraverti,for Tie was the bravest of the Companions.

his A'li that he said Tell who Al Bazzar records in Musnad from ; me ;" " " is the bravest of men they said thou art." He replied Verily I never encountered any one but I was even with him, but tell me, who was the " ?'* " bravest of men ?" They said, we know not ; who is he He said Abu Eakr, for verily on the day of Badr, we made for the Apostle of God a shelter from the sun, and we said, " who shall, remain with the Apostle of God lest any of the idolaters fall upon him ?" then by Allah, not one of us approached except Abu Bakr who brandished a sword over the head of

the Apostle of God ; no one attacked him but he attacked him likewise : he

is therefore the bravest of men." Ali said. " I saw the Apostle of God assaulted by the Kuraysh, and one threatened him and another shook him violently and they said, " thou art he who makest of the gods, one God ;" he added, " and by Allah not one of us approached except Abu Bakr who struck one and threatened another and pushed aside another and said " woe unto ye—will ye slay a man who saith—my God is Allah ?" then A'li lifted up the mantle that was on him and wept, so that his beard was wet with tears and he said " I conjure ye by Allah, to say whether was the true believer* of the family of Pharoah the better or Abu Bakr ?" and the people were silent, and he said, " do ye not answer me ? by Allah, a single hour of Abu Bakr is better than a thousand hours of the believer of the family of Pharoah, for that man concealed his faith and this man proclaimed it." Al Bukhari records from U'rwah-b-uz Zubayr that he said, " I asked of A'bdu'Uah-b-A'mr-b-i'l A'as,t what was the greatest violence that the " idolaters had offered to the Apostle of God ; he replied I saw U'kbah-b- Abi Mua'yt go towards the prophet who was praying and throw his cloak about his neck, and throttle him violently, whereupon Abu Bakr came and drove him from him and said, " will ye slay a man who saith—my God is

* Tliis person, according to tradition, was an Egyptian and Pharoah's uncle's son, but a true believer, who finding that the king had been informed of what Moses had done, and designed to put him to death, gave him notice to provide for his safety by flight. He is mentioned in the Kuran. Chapters XXVIII and XL. See Sale. t Abu Muhammad or Abu A'bdu'r Eahman, the Companion. An Nawawi says that the name A'a? commonly so spelt, should be more properly written A'asi. He was 12 or 13 years younger than his father and was converted to Islam before him and received no less than 700 traditions from Muljammad. His devotion and learning were universally acknowledged. The date of his death is differently stated, according to some as early as 55 A. H. according to others in 73. Consult An Nawawi and Ibu Khali. [ 37 ]

Allah ? and in truth he hath come to you with manifestations from your God !" And al Haytham-b-Kulayb in his Musnad from Abu Bakr, '' On the day of Ohud, all the people forsook the Apostle of God and I was the first to return to him,"—^the rest of the tradition will appear in the

Musnad as he has related it. And Ibn A'sakir from Ayesha, " when the prophet gathered the Companions together there were thirty- eight persons. Abu Bakr then entreated the Apostle of God to declare himself openly, " ;'' but he said O ! Abu Bakr we are only a few but Abu Bakr did not desist from importuning the Apostle of God, until he declared himself. The Muslims were scattered round about the Mosque each man among his kindred, when Abu Bakr rose before the people preaching, and he was the first who summoned the people to God and to his Apostle ; then the idolaters fell upon Abu Bakr and upon the Muslims and beat them with heavy blows round about the Mosque"—the rest of the tradition will follow in the biography of Omar. Ibn A'sakir records from A'li, that when Abu Bakr was converted, he declared his faith and summoned the people to God and to his apostle.

On Ms spending Ms substance on the Apostle of God for he was the most generous of the Oompanions.

The Lord hath said, "But he who strictly bewareth idolatry and

rebellion, shall be removed far from the same : (hell fire) —who giveth his substance in alms" &c. to the end of the Sdra. (Kur XCII). Ibn u'l Jauzi says that the learned are agreed, that this was revealed regarding Abu Bakr. Ahmad records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said, " No wealth hath ever availed me, as hath availed me the wealth of Abu Bakr," and Abu Bakr wept and said—" I and my wealth are they not ?" for thee ! Apostle of God Al Khatib relates a tradition imperfect in regularity of transmission, on the authority of Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab,* and adds that the Apostle of God made use of the substance of Abu Bakr as if it were his own.—And Ibn A'sakir from Ayesha with- different authorities, and from U'rwah-b-uz-Zubayr,,that on the day when Abu Bakr was converted, he had forty thousand dinars—and according to another reading, forty thousand dirhams, and he spent them upon the Apostle of God.

* Abu Muhammad Sa'id-'b-u'l Musayyab, Kurayshi, one of the seven great jurisconsults of Medina. He was the chief of the first series of Tabi'is—he married the daughter of Abu Hurayra and related traditions on his authority, born A, H. 15—16,

(636-7), died at Medina A. H. 91, (A. D. 709-10). Ibn Khali. [ 38 J

Abu Sa'id al Aa'rdbi records on the authority of Ibn O'mar, that on the day when Abu Bakr was converted, he had in his house forty thousand dirhams, and when he set out for Medina at the time of the Tlight, he had no more than five thousand, all of which he spent upon the manumission of slaves, and in aid of Islam. And Ibn A'sikiv on that of Ayesha, that Abu Bakr gave freedom to seven slaves all of whom had suffered persecution for the sake of God. Ibn Shahin* records in his " Sunnah," and al Baghawif in his commentary on the Kuran, and Ibn A'sakir from Ibn 0'mar,J that he said, " I was near the prophet, and by him was Abu Bakr, and upon him a garment of goat's hair, and he had pinned it together on his breast with " a skewer ; then Gabriel came down to him and said O ! Muhammad, how is it that I see Abu Bakr wearing a garment of goat's hair which he hath ?" " pinned on his breast by a skewer He replied O ! Gabriel, he. spent his substance upon me before the conquest of Meeea." Gabriel said " Then the Lord sendeth him His benediction and saith, " Say unto him—art thou content with me in this thy poverty or angry ?" Abu Bakr said, " Can I be angry with my God ? I am content with my God—I am content with my God—I am content with my God," (related only by one authority and its ascription is untrustworthy). Al Khatib records also a weak ascription, through Ibn Omar to the prophet, who said, " Gabriel, upon whom be peace, came down to me and upon him was a coarse garment fastened together with a skewer, and I " ?" " said to him O ! Gabriel what is this He replied, Verily the Lord hath commanded the angels to fasten their garments in heaven as Abu Bakr fastens his upon earth." Ibn Kathir remarks that this is excessively untrustworthy and adds that were it not that this and the preceding

* The Hifldli Abu Hafs Omax 'b-Shahin of Baghdad composed works computed at 330 in number, among them a Commentary on the Kuran and a collection of traditions, died A. H. 386, (A. D. 995). De Slane I. K. t Abu Muljammad al Husayn—known as al Farra al Baghawi, a Shafi'i doctor Traditionist and Commentator on the Imuran, died A. H. 610 (A. D. 1117) at Marwar- rud. Baghawi is the relative adjective, irregularly formed, derived from Bagh or Baghshur a town in Khorasan. (Ibn Khali). There is also a traditionist Abu'l K&sim al Baghawi, a Hafidh of great repute, died A. H. 317, (A. D. 929). ' De Slane I. K. X Abu A'bdu'r Ealiman, A'bdu'Uah-b-Omar i'l Khattdb one of the most eminent of the CompanionB for his piety, learning and contempt of the world. During the civil wars which raged among the followers of Islam, he remained neutral, occupied in the duties of religion. For a period of sixty years, persons came from all parts to consult him, and his generosity was so great that he would frequently distribute 30,000dirhams. in charity on the days in which he gave audience. Died at Mecca A. H. 73 (692-3) aged 84. De Slane I. K. [ 39 ]

tradition have been handed down by so many people, the rejection of the two would be advisable. > Abu* Daudd and at Tirmidi relate on the authority of Omar-b-u'l Khattab, that he said, " the Apostle of God commanded us to give alms and that was in proportion to the property I possessed, and I said to

myself, " to-day I will surpass Abu Bakr if I am to surpass him on any day, and I brought half of my property." Then the Apostle of God said '" ;" what hast thou kept for thy family ?" I replied, " The like unto that and Abu Bakr came with all the property that he had, and the prophet " said, O Abu Bakr ! what hast thou kept for thy family?" He replied, " I have reserved for them God and his prophet ;" then I said, " I shall never

surpass him in anything." (At Tirmidi says that the tradition is good and trustworthy.)

Abu Nua'ym records in his ' Huliyah,' on the authority of al Hasan al Basri that Abu Bakr brought his alms to the prophet secretly and said, " O Apostle of God this is my alms and with God belongeth for me the

world to come ;" then Omar brought his offering and showed it openly and said, " Apostle of God this is my alms, and for me belongeth with God

the world to come." The Apostle of God exclaimed " there is the saime difference between your offerings as between your words." (The ascription is good but interrupted in transmission.) And at Tirmidi from Abu Huray- rah, that the Apostle of God said, " I have never been under obligation to any one but I have requited him, save Abu Bakr, and verily he hath put obligations upon me, which God will requite unto him on the day of resurrection, and the wealth of none hath ever availed me, as hath availed me the wealth of Abu Bakr."

Al Bazzar records on the authority of Abu Bakr that he said, " I brought my father Abu Kuhafah to the prophet who said, " why didst thou not leave the Shaykh where he was that I might go to him ?" If said " it is his duty rather to go to thee." He answered, " I would be considerate towards him for the kindnesses of his son towards me." And Ibn A'sakir from Ibn A'bbas that the Apostle of God said " No one hath benefited me in greater measure than Abu Bakr, who hath aided me with his person and his substance and hath given me his daughter in marriage.

* Atu Daudd Sulayman b-u'l Ashftli of the tribe of Azd, as Sijistani, was a Hafidh in the traditions, eminent for his piety and holy life. He was one of the earliest who compiled a book of traditions (Kitab u's Sunan). He was bom A, H. 202 (817-8) and died at Basrah A. H. 275 (889). Ibn Khali. t The text has d^ meaning " Abu Bakr said." [ 40 1

On Ms learning, for verily Tie was the wisest of the Oompanions and the most sagacious of them.

An Nawawi says in his " Tatdib" (and I have copied it from his " work) . The learned of our time have adduced in proof of his great wisdom his words in the tradition verified in the " Sahihayn,"* " by Allah I will oppose by force every one who maketh a difference between prayers and alms;t by Allah, if they withhold from me as much as the halter of a camel which they used to pay to the Apostle of God, I will oppose them by force for withholding it." The Shaykh Abu Ishak has brought forward this and other things in his Tabakat, (classes) in testimony that Abu Bakr was the wisest of the Companions, for they aU of them, with the exception of him, fell short of comprehending the wisdom of this course. He then explained to them in his discussion of it with them, that his judgment was the right one, and they were converted to it. It has been related to me on the authority of Ibn Omar, that he was asked who used to decide cases for the people in the time of the Apostle of God. He answered, " Abu Bakr and Omar, I know of no others besides those two." And the two Shaykhs record on the authority of Abu Sa'id al Khudri that henarrates, that the Apostle of God addressed the people and said " God, the Holy and Most High, hath given unto one of his servants a choice between this world and the things which are His, and that servant hath chosen that which is with the Lord God ;" and Abu Bakr wept and said, " my ancestry male and female be thy ransom," and we wondered at his weeping because the Apostle of God had spoken regarding a servant that had been given a choice, but it was the Apostle of God himself who had been left to choose, and Abu Bakr was wiser than we were. Then the Apostle of God said. " Abu Bakr has been the most generous of men towards me, in his Companionship, and worldly goods, and were I to choose a friend besides my God, I would assuredly choose Bakr, Abu but the brotherhood of Islam and its affectionJ

* The two works entitled Sahih of al Bukhari and Muslim. t Keferring to the people of Hira and Yaman who after the death of Muhammad accepted prayers to be an article of faith, hut rejected alms-giving. The council having assembled to consider this recusancy, the Companions were in favor of letting it pass as a matter of little moment, but Abu Bakr strongly insisted on repressing this heresy on the spot lest the dangerous example should be followed by others to the peril of the rising faith.

J This termination of this sentence is not ia the printed text or MS. which is abrupt and incomplete, but I find it supplied by al Bukhari in his Sharalj on the authority of Ibn A'bbas. [ 41 ] is sufficient for me. There shall not remain a door* but it shall be closed except the door of Abu Bakr." (These are the words of An Nawawi.) Ibn Kathir says, that as Siddik was the best read, that is the most learned of the Companions in the Kuran, inasmuch as the prophet gave him precedence of the Companions, as Imam in public prayers by his words, " the most learned of the people in the Kurdn shall be their Imam." At

Tirmidi records from Ayesha, that the Apostle of God said, " it is not expedient for a people among whom is Abu Bakr that another than he should act as ImAm to them." He was withal the most skilled in the traditionary law, so that when the Companions referred to him on several occasions he came out before them,'with a relation of the sayings of the prophet, which he recollected and bi'ought forward when there was neces-

sity for it, and which they knew not ; and how could it be otherwise for verily he was constantly in the society of the Apostle of God from the beginning of his mission till his death : and withal he was one of the most acute-minded of the servants of God and the most learned of them, and although there are but few traditions recorded, orally transmitted from him, on account of the fewness of his days and his death following quickly on that of the prophet, yet had his life been prolonged, assuredly they would have been far greater in number, and the narrators would not have left a single tradition of his but they would have transmitted it, but these, in his day, were the Companions, none of whom had occasion to relate on his authority, an event in which they themselves had taken part with him : they therefore related on his authority only what they did not themselves know. ^ Abu'l Kasim al Baghawi records on the authority of Maymiin-b- Mihrau, that Abu Bakr, when a plaintiff came before him, used to look into the book of God, and if he found in it that which would decide between the claimants, he decided according to it, and if it were not in the Book, and he was aware of a tradition of the prophet respecting such a case, he decided according to it ; but if it embarassed him, he would go forth and ask of the true believers and say, " such a one and such a one came to me ; now do ye know whether the Apostle of God passed judgment* on such a case ?" Then sometimes a number of the people would gather round him, all of them relating a decision of the Apostle of God in such a matter, and he would say, " Praise be to God who hath set amongst us

• The Commentators give various interpretations of tliis passage : the most probatle opinion is, that the doors spoken of, are those of the Mosque built by Mu- hammad at Medina and one of which opened on to his house, another on to that of

Abu Bakr, and the like with Omar and A'li ; and the closing of all but Abu Bakr's door, was a secret allusion to his succession to the Caliphate. 6 [ 42 ] those *ho bear in mind traditions from the prophet." But if it embarassed him to discover a tradition of the Apostle of God concerning it he would assemble the chiefs of the people, and the chosen among them and consult them, and if their opinions concurred in one decision, he would decide accordingly. Omar used to do likewise, and when he was unable to find a decision in the Kuran or traditional usage, he would look case, if to see if there were a judgment by Abu Bakr in such a and he discovered that Abu Bakr had adjudged such a matter, he would decide the chiefs of the according to that judgment ; otherwise, he would summon people, and when they had concurred in a decision, he acted according to it. As Siddik was also the most learned of men in the genealogy of the Arabs, more especially that of the Kuraysh. Ibn Ishak records on the authority of Yakub-b-U'tbah, who had it from an Ansar Shaykh that Jubayr-b-Mu'tim* was amongst the most learned of the Kuraysh in the pedigrees of the Kuraysh and the Arabs " in general, and he used to say, verily I learnt genealogy from Abu Bakr who was one of the most learned in genealogy of the Arabs." And further, as Siddfk was skilled in the science of the interpretation of dreams, and he used to interpret dreams in the time of the prophet, and indeed Mu- hammad-b-Sirin says .(and he was by common consent, the first in this science) that Abu Bakr was, after the prophet the best interpreter of dreams of this nation. (Ibn Saa'd.) Ad Daylami records in his Musnadu'l Firdaus, and Ibn A'sakir on the authority of Samurah,t that the Apostle of God said " I have been com- mandeo. to cause dreams to be interpreted by Abu Bakr." Ibn Kathir says that he was one of the most eloquent of men, and the best preacher among them. Az Zubayr-b-Bakkar says " I have heard certain of the learned declare that the most eloquent preachers, among the Companions of the Apostle of God, were Abu Bakr as Siddik and A'li-b- Abi Talib;" and the saying of Omar wUl appear in the tradition of Sakifah.J

* Abu Muhammad or Abu A'di Jubayr-b-Mu'tim, a Companion, of the tribe of Kuraysh; was converted before the Khybar Expedition and some say on the day of the conquest of Mecca ; died at Medina, A. H. 54 and some say 69. An Nawawi, T. A. t Abu Sa'id Abu Mujiammad or Abu A'bdu'llah Samurah-b-Jundab the Com- panion—foxight at Ohud and other battles, by the side of the prophet—resided at Basrah where he acted as governor during the absence of Ziyad b-Abihi at Kufa; died at Basrah 68 or 69. An Nawawi. } As Sa^ffah was a building in Medina belonging to the Banu Saa'd, where after the death of the prophet, the rival claims of the fiigitives of Mecca aid the auxiliaries of Medina to elect a successor were iirged with a fierceness, perilous to the common cause. [ 43 1

He was likewise the most learned of men in ike Jmowledge of the Lord,

and the most God-fearing of them : his utterances regarding that and

regarding the interpretation of dreams and his preachings will all of them follow in a future section. Among the proofs which point to his heing

the wisest of the Companions, is the tradition on the truce of Hudayhiyah,* when Omar inquired of the Apostle of God regarding that truce and said " why should we accept dishonor in our religion ?" and the prophet answered

him : then he went to Abu Bakr and inquired of him regarding that which he had asked of the Apostle of God, and as Saddik answered him with the same answer as the prophet's exactly." (Al Bukhari and others.) He was withal, the most judicious of the Companions in counsel and the most perfect of them in wisdom. Tamam ar Kazi records in his " Fuwaid" and Ibn A'sakir from A'b- du'Uah-b-A'mar-b-i'l A'fis that he narrates, " I heard the Apostle of God say— Gabriel, came to me and said " verily God commands thee to take counsel of Abu Bakr." And At Tabarani and Abu Nua'ym and others, from Mu'ad-b-Jabal,t that when the prophet desired to send Mu'ad to Yaman, he took counsel of some of the Companions, among them, Abu Bakr, and Omar and Othman and Talhah and Az Zubayr and XJsayd-b-

Hudhayr, and each one of the number gave his opinion : then the prophet said, " what dost thou think, O Mu'ad ?" {Mudd continues) I said I ap- " prove what Abu Bakr hath spoken : the prophet exclaimed verily the Lord in the heavens above willeth not that Abu Bakr should err." Ibn Usdmah relates this in his Musnad thus, " verily the Lord in heaven willeth not that Abu Bakr as Siddik should err upon earth ;" and at "Tabarani records in his Ausat from Sahl-b-Saa'dJ as Sai'di that the Apostle of God said " verily the Lord willeth not that Abu Bakr should err," (his authorities are trustworthy). An Nawawi says in his Tahdib, that as Siddik was one of the Com- panions who knew the Kuran by heart, and a number others, among them Ibn Kathir in his commentary, have stated the same. But the tradition

* " According to Jellalu'ddin, says Sale, fourscore of the infidels came privatelyto Muhammad's camp with an intent to surprise some of his men, but were taken and brought before the prophet who pardoned them and ordered them to be set at liberty, and this generous action was the occasion of the truce struck up by the Kuraysh with Muhammad." t Of the tribe of Khazraj, a native of Medina and one of the Companions, died A. H. 18 (A. D. 639) aged thirty-three (and some say, thirty-four, and thirty-eight) of the plague at Bmaus. An Nawawi. % Abu'l Abbas or Yahya Sahl-b-Saa'd one of the Companions and a native of Medina; delivered 188 traditions, died at Medina A. H. 88 (A. D. 707). His name was ipiuzn and he was called Sahl by the prophet to avoid the ill-omen of its meaning. Huzn signifying « grief," and " Sahl," " easy"—"faeUe." An Nawawi, T. A. —

[ 44 ] of Anas wMcTi, says " Four persons collected the Kuran in the time of the Apostle of God," means, four among the auxiliaries, as he has explained in his work Al Ittkan ;* hut what Ibn Abi Daulid says, on the authority of as Shaa'bi, viz., that Abu Bakr died and the Kuran was not collected, is either to be rejected or interpreted to mean, its collection into a book according to the arrangement adopted by Othman.

On his heing the most eminent of the Companions and the most virtuous.

The Sunnis are agreed that the most eminent of men, after the Apostle of God were, Abu Bakr, then Omar, then Othman, then A'li, then the rest of the ten,t then the rest of those engaged at Badr, then the rest of the Covenant, those engaged at Ohud ; then the rest of the people of J then the rest of the Companions. Abu Man§ur al Baghdadi§ relates this as a fkct upon -which all are agreed. Al Bukhari narrates on the authority of Ibn Omar that he said, " we were making a choice among men in the time of the Apostle of God, and we preferred Abu Bakr, then Omar, then Othman ;" and at Tabarani adds in the " Kabir" " and the prophet knew of this and did not disap- prove it." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Ibn Omar, that he said, " we (and among us was the Apostle of God) gave the preference first to Abu Bakr, then to Omar, then to Othman, then to A'li ;" and from Abu Hurayrah, " we, a gathering of the Companions of the Apostle of God, being a considerable number together, said the most distinguished of this people after their prophet, are Abu Bakr, then Omar then Othman then we were silent."

t Called Xj-i*** ^jA* or tlie ten to whom joyful tidings are given. See note, page 25. i Those whom he called together al Hudayhiyah and who swore to he faithful to him till death.

§ Abu Man?tir A'bdu'l Kahir a native of Baghdad, a dogmatic theologian of the Shafi'i school, well acquainted with general literature and versed in a numher of other sciences particularly arithmetic ; a book of his on the latter bears the name of at Takmila, He was likewise skilled in the law of inheritance and composed poetry, died at Isfardin A. H. 429, (A. D. 1037-8) and was interred by the grave of his master Abu Ish&k, Ibn Khali. —

C 4,5 ]

At Tirmidi records from Jabir-b-A'bdu'Uah* that Omar said to Abu Bakr " O best of men after the Apostle of God," and Abu Bakr replied nay, thou if thou speakest thus, then verily, I have heard the prophet say " the sun hath never risen upon a man better than Omar." And al Bukhari from A'li-b-Abi Talib, " I said to my father^who among men is the best after the Apostle of God ?" He replied " Abu Bakr." I said '' who after him," he replied " Omar," and I feared lest he should say Othman. I continued " then thou." He answered " I am nothing but one among the true believers." And Ahmad and others from A'li, " the best of this people after its prophet is Abu Bakr and then Omar." Ad Dahabi says " this hath come down in regular transmission from A'li, therefore may God curse the hereticsf how ignorant are they !" At Tirmidi and al Hakim record on the authority of Omar-b-u'l

Khattab that he said, " Abu Bakr is our chief and the most excellent of us, and the most beloved among us of the Apostle of God." And Ibn A'sakir from Abdu'r EahmanJ-b-Abi Layla, that Omar ascended the pulpit

and said, " know that the most eminent of this people after its prophet is

Abu Bakr, and whosoever speaketh otherwise is a slanderer : upon him be the retribution that overtaketh the slanderer," and that A'li said, " let not any one prefer me in merit to Abu Bakr or Omar, or I shaU scourge him according to the punishment of the law for the slanderer." Abdu'r Eahman-b-Hamid in his Musnad, and Abu Nua'ym and others, record with different authorities from Abu'd Darda, that the Apostle of God said, " The sun hath never risen and hath never gone down upon one more eminent than Abu Bakr, save he were a prophet ;" and in another reading " upon one of the true believers, after the prophets and Apostles, more eminent than Abu Bakr." And the same from the tradition of Jabir with the reading " The sun hath never risen upon one amongst you more eminent than he." At Tabarani and others record this and it has evi- dences from other sources which determine its accuracy or trustworthiness and indeed Ibn Kathir hath pointed out its absolute authenticity.

* Atu A'bdu'llah Jabir-b-A'tdi'llali as Salami-al Ans&i, emtraoed Isldm one year before tbe first pact, made with. Muhammad al Akaha (Abul Feda, Tom 1, page Sa) and -was present at the second; died A. H. 78 (A. D. 697-8) aged ninety-four years. De Slane, I. K. pre-eminence of Ali over his three t The Shiahs and such as maintain the predecessors.

% Abu I'sa A'bdu'r Eahman one of the principal Tabi'is bom at Kufah where his father had settled,6 years before Omar'a death. He died A. H. 83. An Nawawi. [ 46 1

At Tabarani records from Salimah-b-u'l A'kwaa'* that the Apostle of God said " Abu Bakr as Siddik is the most eminent of men, save it be a prophet ;" and in his Ausat from Saa'd-b-Zurarah, that the Apostle of — the best of God said, " The holy spirit Gabriel announced to me, " thy people after thee is Abu Bakr."

" ' And the twp Shaykhs from A'mr-b-u'l A'as, I said Apostle of God, who among mankind is the most beloved by thee ?" He replied ?" "Ayesha." I said "among men?" "Her father." I sai4 " then who lie replied. " Then Omar-b-u'l Khattab." This tradition without the "then Omar" has come down in the narrative of Anas and Ibn Omar and Ibn A'bbds. At Tirmidi, an JSTasaijf and al Hdkim record on the authority of A'bdu'Uah-b-Shakii; that he narrates, " I said to Ayesha—which of the Com- panions of the Apostle of God was most beloved by him ?" She answered "Abu Bakr." I said " which next ?" She replied " Then Omar" I said " which next ?" She answered Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah." And at Tir- midi from Anas, that the Apostle of God said of Abu Bakr and Omar, " These are the chief of the adult dwellers in paradise, of those who have been the first and of those who will be the last, save they be prophets and

Apostles," J At Taibarani records in his Ausat on the authority of A'mmar-b- Tasir§ that he said, " whosoever giveth precedence to any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God over Abu Bakr and Omar, verily he putteth a slight upon the Fugitives and Auxiliaries." And Ibn Sa'id on

* Salimah-b-u'l A'kwaa', one of tlie CompanionB. He swore allegiance to Muham- mad on tlie day of Hudaybiyah and aooompanied him in seven of his expeditions. He used to reside at Medina, but on the death of Omar, lie left it for Eabadah and returned to Medina a few days before his death, A. H. 74 (693J at the age of 80. An Nawawi. t The Hafidh, Abu A'bdu'r Eahmfin, chief traditionist of his age and author of a Sunan or collection of traditions, was an inhabitant of old Cairo. He was a great advocate of the rights of A'U and was maltreated by the mob on that account, under the effects of which he died A. H. 303, (A. D. 916). Bom at Nasa n city of Khora- bSxl a. H. 214-5. (A. D. 829-30). He composed a work called the Al Khasiis (characteristics) on the merits of AU. Ibn KhaU. X The Muhammadan doctors place the Apostles higher in degree than the prophete. The two words cU'y'jjV " prophet apostle," are employed only for those who bear the double character. By the latter they signify, one whose divine mission is testified to by a sacred hook whereas the prophetical office alone is not always so distinguished. The Prophet Apostles are four, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad.

§ One of the Companions, who fell in the battle fought (A, H. 37) between A'li and Mu'fiwiyah at Siffi'n. Ibn Khali. —

[ 47 ] the authority of az Zubri,* that the Apostle of God said to Hassfin-b- Thabit. " Hast thou said anything in verse of Abu Bakr ?" He answered " yes." Then he said " speak and I will listen," and he repeated this verse " The second of the two in the glorious cave and verily

The enemy went round about it when they ascended the mountain And verily they knew that he was the beloved of the Apostle of God: Who held no one his equal among the people."

and the Apostle of God laughed so that his back teeth were visible, and

said, " thou hast spoken truly, Hassan, he is as thou sayest." Ahmad and at Tirmidi record from Anasf-b- Malik that the Apostle of

God said, " The most compassionate of my people unto my people is Abu Bakr, and the most zealous of them-in upholding the commands of God, Omar, and the most truly modest among them, Othman, and the most learned of them in things lawful and unlawful Mu'ad-b-Jabal, and the most skilled in the law of inheritance, Zayd-b-Thabit,J and the most

learned of them in theKuran Ubayy-b-Kaa'b,§ and in every people, there is

one that is confided in, and the trusted one of this people is Abu U'baydah- b-u'l Jarrah." Abu Ya'la has taken this from the tradition of Ibn Omar and added to it " and the best of them in adjudication, A'li." Ad Daylami quotes this in his Musnad u'l Firdaus from the tradition of Shaddad-b-Aus

* Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Shihfib of the Kurayah, one of the most eminent of the Tabi'is, jurisconsults and traditioniats of Medina. He saw ten of Muliammad's Companions. He was made Kadhi by Yazid-b-Abdi'l Malik and died A. H. 124 (A. D. 742) at the age of seventy-two or three. Ibn Khali. t Abu Hamzah, Anas-b-MaUk surnamed "the servant of God's Apostle." *Jj Uy»j /« jl^ was one of the most eminent of the Companions. At his mother's request Muhammad prayed for his spiritual and temporal prosperity, through which the riches of Anas multiplied, his date trees bore fruit twice a year and he was the father

of 78 sons ; he was 10 years in his master's service and on his death removed to Basrah. He died A. H. 93 (A. D. 711-2). De Slane, I. K. X Abu Sa'id-Zayd-b-Thabit a Companion and native of Medina. He was Mu- hammad's Secretary and used to commit his dictation of the Kurdn to writing and carried on his master's ordinary, correspondence and afterwards acted in the same capacity under Abu Bakr and Omar. He was one of the three to whom Abu Bakr committed the task of collecting the !Kuran. He was celebrated for his knowledge of the law of inheritance among other subjects and had the charge of the public treasury in the Caliphate of Othm£n. He died at Medina A. H. 64. An Nawawi. present at the § One of the Companions, second pact of al A'kabah ; fought at Badr and other engagements. Muhammad recited to him the 98th Sura of the Kuran as he said, at the express divine command, an honour which no other Companion shared with him : died at Medina before A. H. 30 in the Caliphate of Othmdn. An Nawawi, T. A. [ 48 ] and added " and Abu Darr,* the most devout of my people and the most sincere, and Abu'd Darda, the most pious of my people, and the most God- fearing and Mu'awiyah-b-Abi Sufyan, the most benign of my people and the most munificent." And verily my most erudite master Al Kafijif was asked whether these characteristics were at variance with those before given, and he replied that there was no contradiction.

On what has been revealed in the verses of the Kurdn in Ms praise and his witnessing to the truth and other matters regarding him.

Know, that I have seen a work of a certain author on the names of those regarding whom there hath been a revelation in the Kur4n, but in- accurate and incomplete and, I therefore myself composed a work on that sutject, comprehensive, exhaustive and accurate and I extract from it here, whatever refers to As Siddik. The Lord said, " The second of the two when they two were in the cave : when he said unto his Companion, "be not grieved for God is with us. And God sent down his security upon him." (Kur. e. ix.) The true believers are agreed that the Companion mentioned is Abu Bakr, and there will appear a tradition from him on this subject. Ibn Abi Hatim records from Ibn A'bbas concerning the divine words

" and God sent down his security upon him," that he said, " that is, upon Abu Bakr, for as to the prophet, the security never ceased to be with him." And from Ibn Masa'lid,J that Abu Bakr purchased Bilal§ from Umayyah- b-Khalaf and Ubayy-b-Khalaf, for a cloak and ten pieces of money and he " set him free for the sake of God : then God revealed. By the night when it coverefch" (Kur XCII) to the words " verily your endeavour is different" that is the endeavour of Abu Bakr and Umayyah and Ubayy. Ibn Jarir records from A'amir-b-A'bdu'Uah-b-iz Zubayr that Abu Bakr used to give manumission in Mecca to slaves of the true faith, and thus

* Jundub-'b-Junadah Abu Darr Ali Gtaffari, one of the Companions of an ascetic life and one of the earliest converts. There is much variance of opinion regarding his real name. He died at Babadah a village three imles from Medina A. H. 32. For particulars of his life consult Ibn Hajr, and an Naw. t This name is written Kafiaji by by Meursinge. See Introduction. % A'bdu'Uah-b-Masa'M-b-Ghafll. A eminent Companion and one of the Fugitives both to Abyssinia and Medina and a trusty confidant of Muhammad's whom he accompanied on all his expeditions. Some say he died at Kufah, others, at Medina about A. H. 32, being a little more than sixty years of age. An Nawawi.

§ Muhammad's Abyssinian caller to prayer. [ 49 J he used to set free old women and other women when they embraced Islam and his father said to him, " O.my son, I see that thou freest weak women, but if thou wert to free strong men, they would stand by thee and protect thee, and repel Tiarm from thee." He replied, " father I desire the things which are of God." He adds " I was told by some of my family that this verse was revealed concerning him " now who is obedient and feareth God" (Kur XCII)—to the end. Ibn Abi Hatim and at Tabarani record from U'rwah that Abu Bakr freed seven slaves, all of whom had suffered persecution for the sake of God and regarding him was revealed, " but he who strictly bewareth idolatrif and rebellion shall he removed, far from the same" to the end of the Sura (Kur. XCII). Al Bazzar records from A'bdu'llah-b-u'z-Zubayr, that this

verse, " by whom no benefit is bestowed on any that it may be recompensed," to the end, (Kur. XCII) was revealed concerning Abu Bakr;. and al Bukhari records from Ayesha that Abu Bakr never violated an oath until God revealed the atonement for an oath violated (Kur. V). Al Bazzar and Ibn A'sakir record from Usayd-b-Safwan (who enjoyed the Companionship of the prophet) that A'li said, " and he who brought the truth was Muhammad and Abu Bakr as Siddik testified to him." Ibn

A'sakir says, " this is the tradition regarding this reading but perhaps it is a reading of A'li's.* Al Hakim records from Ibn A'bbas regarding the words of God, " and consult them in the affair" (Kur. III.), that they were revealed concerning Abu Bakr and Omar. And Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn Shaudab that the verse " but for him who dreadeth the tribunal of his Lord are prepared two gardens," (Kur. LV), was revealed regarding Abu Bakr, and there are other ascriptions which 1 have mentioned in the Eeasons of Revelation. At Tabarani records in his Ausat from Ibn Omar and Ibn A'bbas that the divine words " and the good man among the faithful" (Kur. LXVI) were revealed concerning Abu Bakr and Omar. And A'bdu'Uah-b-Abi Hamid in his Commentary, from Mujahid,t that when " verily God and his angels bless the prophet" (Kur. XXXIII) was revealed, Abu Bakr said, " thee blessing O Apostle of God ! God hath never revealed to a but he hath included me in it." Then was revealed this verse " it is he who

is gracious to you and his angels intercedefor i/ou." (Kur. XXXIII.)

* That is with the words " ti'l Hakk." The -word in the Kuraa is " Sid^" and not " n3.^kk"—^J0^J ^JiJ^Jb *U. i^^\ Kur. XXXIX. t The oelehrated Imam and Tabi'i Ahu'l Hajjaj Mujahid-b-Jubayr, was a doctor of high authority on jurisprudence and Kuranic interpretation. A'bdu'llah-h-Omar (espected him to such a degree that he held his stirrup when he mounted on horse- hack, died A. H. 101, (A. D. 719-20). De Slane I. K. 7 [ 50 ]

Ibn A'sakir records from 'Ali-b-u'l Husayn, that the following verse was revealed regarding Abu Bakr, Omar and A'li, " and we will remove aU grudges from their breasts ; they shall he as brethren sitting over against " one another on couches" (Kur. XV) ; and from Ibn A'bbas, that, we have commanded man to show kindness to his parents" down to the words "this is a true promise which they are promised in this world" (Kur. XLVI) was revealed regarding Abu Bakr as Siddik; and from Ibn TJ'aynah,* that God had chided all the true believers through the Apostle of God, except Abu Bakr alone who had escaped from the reproach : and he recites the words "if ye assist not the prophet, verily God will assist him as He assisted him formerly when the unbelievers drove him out of Mecca, the second of the two when they two were in the cave." (Kur. IX).

On the traditions handed doim regarding his merit covpled with that of Omar over and above what has preceded.

The two Shaykhs record from Abu Hurayrah that he said, " I heard the Apostle of God say, " whilst a shepherd was in the midst of his flock, a wolf rushed upon it and carried off from it a sheep and the shepherd pm-- sued it. The wolf turned to him and said " who will he a protector to it on the day of resurrection ? —the day when there will be no other shepherd than myself ;"t and as a man was driving an ox which he had laden, it turned to him and spake and said "verily I was not created for this, but I was created for tillage" and the people cried out. " Good God, that an ox should talk !" The prophet said, "I believe in it and likewise do ;" Abu Bakr and Omar and Abu Bakr and Omar were not there, that is, they were not present in the assembly, but he bore witness for them both as to their belief in it, because of his knowledge of the perfection of their faith." Tirmidi records At from Abu Sa'id al Khudri, that the Apostle of said, " there was God never a prophet but he had two ministers from the dwellers in heaven, and two ministers from among the dwellers on earth,

* Atu Muhammad Sufyan b-tT'aynah, bom at Kufah A. H. 107 and "taken by his father to Mecca where he died A. H. 198 (814 A. D.) He was an Imam of learning, piety and of a mortified Hfe, distinguished for the exactitude of the traditions which he handed down. Ibn Khali. t " Saba' in Yakit (Mua'jam u'l Bnldan) " is a valley in Palestine in which tradition says, mankind will be assembled for the judgment. This very tradition is quoted in proof—but it also stated that there are other interpretations—what they are I cannot discover. In ^ustultoi's commentary on .al Buthpi this tradition is noted but without explanation. Sou also Lane, ait.***. [ 51 ]

and my 4iwo ministers of the dwellers in heaven, are Gabriel and Michael, and my two ministers of the dwellers on earth are Abu Bakr and Omar." The Traditionists and others record from Sa'id-b-Zayd, " I heard the Apostle of God say, " Abu Bakr shall be in paradise and Omar shall be in paradise, and Othman shall be in paradise and A'li shall be in paradise," and he mentioned the whole of the ten ;* and Al Tirmidi from Abu Sa'id " verily the dwellers in the lofty mansions [ofpa/radise)—ih.Qj that are below them shall see them as ye see the stars shining in the horizon of the sky, and verily Abu Bakr and Omar shall be among them ;" and from Anas, that the Apostle of God went out to his Companions, of the Fugi- tives and Auxiliaries, and there were seated among them Abu Bakr and Omar, but none of them raised his eyes to him except Abu Bakr and Omar, and they remained gazing upon him and he upon them, and smiling upon him and he upon them. Al Tirmidi and al Hakim record from Ibn Omar that the Apostle of God went forth one day and entered the mosque, with Abu Bakr and Omar, one of them upon his right hand and the other upon his left, and he held their hands and said, " thus shall we arise on the day of judgment ;" and at

Tirmidi from Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God said, " I shall be the first from whom the earth shall be rent asunder, then Abu Bakr and then ;" Omar and he and al Hakim record, confirming it on the authority of Ibn Handhalah that the prophet looked upon Abu Bakr and Omar and said, " these are my hearing and my sight." Al Bazzar, and al Hakim record from Abu Arwa ad Dausi,t that he said, " I was with the prophet when Abu Bakr and Omar approached and he said " praise be to God whg hath strengthened me with ye two." And Abu Ta'la from A'mmar-b-Tasir, that the Apostle of God said, " a little while ago, Gabriel came to me and I said " O Gabriel, recount unto me the merits of Omar b-u'l Khattab," and he answered " if I were to relate to thee the merits of Omar, the narration of his merits would not be ended during the period in which Noah tarried with his people, for verily

Omar is a good work amongst the good works of Abu Bakr ;" and Ahmad from A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Ghanam, that the Apostle of God said to Abu Bakr and Omar " if you were agreed upon a counsel, I would not oppose you."

* See page 25. Note t t Ibn Hajr can give no account of this person beyond the mention, of one or two traditions (including this with a slightly different reading) on his authority. Hia name and genealogy are unknown—he is supposed to have been present with the prophet at the affair of " IJ^arifeLarat u'l Kudr" and_ died at the close of Mu'awiyah's reign. —

[ 52 ]

Ibn Saa'd relates on the authority of Iba Omar that he was asked who used to give decisions in the time of the Apostle of God, and he replied, " Abu Bakr and Omar, and I know of no others besides those two ;" and from Abu'l Kasim-b-Muhammad, that Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and A'li used to decide cases in the time of the Apostle of God ; and at Tabarani, from Ibn Masa'ud that the Apostle of God said, " every prophet hath a chosen one among his people, and verily my elect from among my Com- panions, are Abu Bakr and Omar;" and Ibn A' sakir from A'li that the Apostle of God said, " may God have mercy upoin Abu Bakr who hath given me his daughter in marriage, and bore me to the city of refuge (Medina) and gave freedom to Bilal—may God have mercy upon Omar who ever speaketh the truth though it be bitter, for the speaking of the truth hath left him without a friend—may God have mercy upon Othmaa before whom the angels are abashed—may God have mercy upon A'li O God encompass him with the truth whithersoever he goeth." And at Tabarani records from Sahl that when the prophet returned from his last pilgrimage, he ascended the pulpit and blessed God and glorified Him and said; ' people,' verily Abu Bakr hath never done me a wrong, therefore know this of him. people, verily I am content with him and with Omar and Othman and A'li and Talhah and az Zubayr and Saa'd and Abdu'r E.ahman-b-A'uf,* and the First FugitiveSjf know this of them." A'bdu'Uah b-Ahmad records in the " Zawaid u'z Zuhd" from Ibn Abi Hazim, that a man came to A'li-b-u'l Husayn and said, " what place did Abu !Pakr and Omar hold near the Apostle of God ?" He replied " that which they hold at this moment." And Ibn Saa'd from Bistam-b-Muslim^ that the Apostle of God said to Abu Bakr and Omar, " no one shall have authority over you two after me ;" and Ibn A'sakir, a tradition relating direct to the prophet through Anas, " love towards Abu Bakr and Omar is faith, hatred towards them is infidelity ;" and from Ibn Masa'ud,

" love towards Abu Bakr and Omar and a knowledge of them is an injunction of the law :" and from Anas, direct from the prophet, " verily I hope for the same henefit to my people, by their pro/essio» of love towards Abu Bakr and Omar, that I hope for them by their profession of faith " there is no God but God."

•• Abu Muhammad A'bdu'r Eahman b-A'uf of the ^nraysh a native of Medina, one of the ten to whom paradise was assured, died A. H. 32, aged 72. An Nawawi. + The first fugitives to Abyssinia who were driven by the persecution of the ^uraysh to seek shelter with the king (Naj&hi) of that country. There were eleven in number, and four of them were.aooompanied by their wives. See Muir's Life of Mu- I^ammad, Vol. II, p. 133. —

[ 53 ]

On tJie traditions handed down referring exclusively to his merit, over and above what has preceded.

The two Shaykhs record on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that he said, " I heard the Apostle of God say," he who repeatedly* giv:eth of the things that are his, for the sake of God, shall be summoned through the gates of paradise in these words : " ' servant of God, this is goodi for thee to enter ly," and he who is of those who pray, shall be summoned through

the Gate of Prayer, and he who is of those who have fought for the faith,

shall be summoned through the Gate of Religious War, and he who is of those who give in alms, shall be summoned through the Gate of Alms, and he who is of those who fast shall be summoned through the Gate of Fast-

ing that is\ the Gate of Satiety." Then Abu Bakr said, " it cannot be necessary that one should be summoned though these gates—shall, then,, one be summoned through them all?" And he answered, " yes, and I hope, .that thou wilt be among them, Abu Bakr ;" and Ibn DauM and al Hakim from A^u Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said, " but thou, Abu Bakr,

shall be the first of my people to enter paradise ;" and the two Shaykhs from Abu Sa'id that the Apostle of God said, " he who hath laid me under

the greatest obligation of all men both with his person and his goods, is Abu Bakr, and if I were to take a friend other than my Lord, I would surely take Abu Bakr, but the brotherhood of the faith is sufficient." Al Bukhari records on the authority of Abu'd Darda that he said, " I was sitting with the prophet when there came forward Abu Bakr, and greeted, him and said, " verily a dispute arose between me and Omar and I was hasty with him, but afterwards I repented and besought him to forgive me, but he refused, wherefore I have come to thee," and he said " May God have mercy upon thee, O Abu Bakr" three times. Afterwards, verily Omar repented and went to the house of Abu Bakr, but found him not, and he hastened to the prophet and the face of the prophet became flushed with wrath so that Abu Bakr was afraid, and he fell upon his knees and said twice, " Apostle of God, I was more intemperate than he." The prophet exclaimed to the bystanders " verily, the Lord sent me unto you as a prophet, and you said, " thou liest," and Abu Bakr said, " thou hast spoken comforted with the service his person and his truly," and he me of goods ; then will ye not leave me to me my Companion?" this he said twice and

• My authorities for this sense of tlie word ^ji^jj are Turbushti and Tibi, see the Commentary of Kustulani on this tradition..

The MS. omits. " the of Fasting." printed text is t Gate The correct here : the

words /•(Ji«aJ| us^ y* being in al Bukhari—where it ia explained as I have translated ' it. [ 54 ]

after that he was troubled no more." Ibn A'di records a similar account from the tradition of Ibn Omar in which is the following, " the Apostle of

God said," afflict me not in my Companion, for verily the Lord sent me as as a guide unto salvation and the true faith and you said, " thou hast lied," and Abu Bakr said, " thou hast spoken truly," and had it not been that the Lord had named him " Companion," verily I would have taken him as an intimate friend but the brotherhood of Islam is sufficient." And Ibn A'sakir from al Mikdam* that A'kilf the son of Abu Talib, and Abu Bakr were reviling each other and he adds that Abu Bakr used to be a great reviler as well as a great genealogist but that he had learned courtesy of manner' from his Companionship with the prophet and he turned away from A'kil and complained to the prophet, and the Apostle of God rose up before

the people and said, " will ye not leave unto me my Companion, what is your worth, and his ? By Allah there is not a man among you, but darkness is upon the door of his house, save the door of Abu Bakr, and verily upon his door, there is light—and by Allah, verily ye said to me, " thou hast lied," and Abu Bakr said " thou hast spoken truly," and ye withheld your pos- sessions, but he gave unto me that which he had, and ye reviled me, but he. cherished me and followed me." And al Bukhari from Ibn Omar that the Apostle of God said, " he who traileth his garments haughtily, the Lord will not look upon him on the day of judgment," and Abu Bakr said " should either of the two sides of my garment trail loosely, must I be careful of that ?" The Apostle of God replied " thou art not he who doeth that >in pride." And Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, that the Apostle of God said, '' who among you hath begun the day fasting ?" And Abu Bakr replied " I have ;" then he said " who among you hath fed the poor to-day?" Abu Bakr replied "I;" then he said, "who among you, hath visited the sick to-day," and Abu Bakr replied " I ;" then the Apostle of God said " these things shall not come together in a man, but he shall enter paradise." Verily this tradition hath been handed down through the narration of Anas-b-Malik and Abdu'r Eahman-b-Abi Bakr, andj has mentioned this tradition of Anas and at the end of it " paradise shaU surely be thy portion." And al Bazzdr records the tradition of A'bdu'r

* Al Mikdam-b-Ma'di Karib, one of the Companions—he resided at Emessa, and related forty-seven traditions regarding his master, died in Syria A. H. 87 at the age of 91. An Nawawi. Isa the t Ahu Yazid or Abu 2nd son of Abu Talib ; he fought unwilUngly on the side of the infidels al Badr, and was taken prisoner and was converted before Huday- biyah. He was a, distinguished genealogist. He was quick in repartee says an Nawawi, and generally silenced his antagonist. He died in the Caliphate of Mu'a- wiyah, having lost his sight—and was buried at al Bakii' the cemetery at Medina. J The MS. has here a blank and the printed text does not supply the omission. [ 55 ]

Rahman and its words are these, " the Apostle of God read the praj^ers in " the morning : then he turned to his Companions and said who, among you,

?" ' hath begun the day fasting Omar replied ! Apostle of God, I did not purpose to myself, during the past night, to fast, thus I have become this morning as one who hath broken his fast,"* and Abu Bakr said " but I purposed to myself during the night to fast, and thus I have risen fasting." Then the prophet said " Hath any among you visited the sick to-day ?" and Omar replied, " Apostle of God, we have not gone forth from here, how then can we have visited the sick ?" but Abu Bakr said ' I heard that my brotherf A'bdu'r Rahman-b-A'uf was sick and I went round that way to him, to see how he was this morning." Then he said " hath any one among you fed the poor to-day ?" and Omar replied " we have been praying, Apostle of God, and have not gone " forth," but Abu Bakr said, I entered the mosque when, behold ! there came a beggar, and I found a piece of barley bread in the hand of Abdu'r

Rahman and I took it and gave it to him," and he said, " Eejoice with the good tidings of paradise ;" then he spoke a word which comforted Omar, and Omar knew that he should never purpose to do a good work but Abu Bakr would be before him in it." Abu Ya'la records from Ibn Masa'iid, that he said " I was in the mosque praying when there entered the Apostle of God, and with him Abu Bakr and Omar and he found me praying and he said, " ask—it shall be granted unto you," then he said " whosoever wishes to read the Kuran in a fresh and joyous manner, let him read it with the reading of the son of

Umm A'bd." J Then I returned to my house and i(j^u Baki: came to me and gave me the good tidings regarding what the prophet had said ; then caine Omar and he found Abu Bakr going forth, having already been before him and he said " verily thou art the foremost in good." Ahmad records on good authority from Eabii'h-u'l Aslami,§ that he said, " a disputation arose between me and Abu Bakr, when he said to me a word which I disliked, and he repented and said to me, " Eabii'h return it to me likewise, so that there may be retaliation." I replied " I shall not do so." He answered " Thou shalt say it or I shall call up against thee, the Apostle of God."

* The mere act of atstaining from food during tlie day, does not constitute a fast religiously speaking. Tlie intention to fast, must precede the abstention to make it efficacious. During the long fast of the Eamadhan the intention is pre-supposed and need not be daily renewed. t The term brother is, aa is weU-kuown, applied lo all of a tribe indisoriminately without reference to consanguinity. t The mother of Ibn Masa'ud.

§ Eabii'h-b-Kaa'b-b-Malik al Aslami Hijazi, one of the Companions, settled at Medina and died at Harrah in A. H. 63. Ibn Hajr. [ 56 ]

I said, "I will -not do so," and Abu Bakr departed and there came some men of the tribe of Aslam and they said to me, " may Grod have mercy

upon Abu Bakr ! for what reason hath he called up against thee the prophet, he being the one that hath said to 'thee what he hath said ?" And I replied, " know ye not who is Abu Bakr as Siddik ? he is the " second of two" and he is the grey beard of the Muslims look to yourselves the — — , that he turn not and see ye abetting me against him, lest he be angered and the Apostle of God come and be wroth on account of his anger, and the Lord be wrathful on account of the anger of those two, and Rabii'h perish ;" and Abu Bakr departed and I followed him alone until he came

to the Apostle of God and he related to him the story as it occurred : then the prophet lifted up his head towards me and said," Eabii'h, what hath happened between thee and as Siddik ?" I replied, " O Apostle of God such and suoh a thing happened and he said to me a word which I disliked, then he said to me, " speak to me as I have spoken, so that there may be a retaliation," and I refused." Then the Apostle of God said " good, do

not return it, but say ' the Lord have mercy upon thee, O Abu Bakr :' " then I said "the Lord have mercy upon thee O Abu Bakr." Al Tirmidi records and approves a tradition on the authority of Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God said to Abu Bakr " Thou shalt be my

Companion at the Pool,* as thou wert my Companion in the Cave ; and A'bdu'llah-b-Ahmad from Ibn A'bbas,tthat the Apostle of God said, " Abu Bakr was my Companion and my Comforter in the cave ;" and al Bayhaki from HudayfahJ that the Apostle of God said " verily there is a bird in paradise whose flesh taffeth like that o/Bactrian Camels ;" Abu Bakr said, "it is then delicate of flavour, O Apostle of God"—he replied, " he who eateth of them shall enjoy them and thou shalt be of those who shall eat :" of them and Abu Ya'la from Abu Hurayrah, that the Apostle of God " said, I was borne towards the heavens, and I passed no heaven, but I found therein my name, Muhammad the Apostle of God and Abu Bakr as Siddik as my vicegerent." Its authorities are weak, but the same has been handed down in the tradition of Ibn A'bbas, Ibn Omar, Anas, Abu

* Salsata, the fountain in paradise where the prophet is believed to give drink ta the faithful who are thirsty. These " t words from Ibn Abbas'" are omitted in the printed edition but suppKed by the MS.

t Abu A'bdu'Uah Hudayfah-b-u'l Tamdn. He and his father were both at the battle of Ohud when his father was accidentally killed by his own side. He was much trusted by Muhammad and employed on secret and important negotiatioua. He engaged was in the campaign of Nahawand and commanded the troops at the capture of Hamaddn, Eay and Dinawar. Omai made him governor of Madain where he died, in A. H. 36, forty days after the assassination of Omur. An Nawawi, T. A. [ 57 1

Sa'id and Abu' d Darda with weak ascriptions, but supporting each other reciprocally. Abu Abi Hatim and Abu J^ua'ym record on the authority of Sa'id-b- Jubayr* that he said, " I was reading this verse before the prophet—" Oh thou soul which art at rest," (Kur. LXXXIX), when Abu Bakr said " O Apostle of God surely this is a good saying,'" and the Apostle of God

replied, " yea, verily, the angel shall say it to thee at the time of thy death." And Ibn Abi Hatim from A'amir-b-Abdi'llah-b-i'z Zubayr that he said, that when the verse, " and if we had commanded them, saying, slay yourselves," (Kur. IV) was revealed, Abu Bakr said, " Apostle of God, didst thou command me to slay myself, I would do so," and he replied " thou speakest truly." And Abu'l Kasim al Baghawi from Ibn Abi Mulaykah, " the Apostle of God and his Companions went into a pool and he commanded that every man should swim towards his friend;" he adds, " and every man swam until there were left the Apostle of God and Abu Bakr, and the Apostle of God swam towards Abu Bakr and embraced him and said, " were I to choose an intimate friend until such time as I saw the Lord face to face, verily I would take Abu Bakr, but he is my Companion." Wakii'f has followed him on the authority of A'bdu'l Jabbar-b-u'l Ward, (states Ibn A'sdkir,) and Abdu'l Jabbar is trustworthy, and his master, was the Imam Ibn Abi Mulaykah but it is irregular in transmission and narrated but by one authority. I remark that at Tabarani has recorded it in the " Kabir" and Ibn Shahin in the " Sunnat" in a different manner, but in uninter- rupted succession from Ibn A'bbas. IbnJ Abi'd Dunya records in the " Makarimu'l Akhlak," (noble qualities) and Ibn A'sakir, according to the ascription of Sadakah-b-Maymiin al Karashi, from Sulayman-b-Yasar,§

* Abu A'bdu'Uah. or Muhammad Sa'id-lD-Ju'bayr-'b-Hisham al Asadi was a black and a client by enfranoMsement to tbe tribe of "Waliba-b-u'l Harith. He was an eminent Tabi'i and a native of Kufab. He learnt his traditions from Ibn Omar and Ibn A'bbas. He was put to death by Hajjaj-b-Yusuf for his revolt against Abdu'l Malik-b- Marwan, and the last hours of Hajjaj were said to have been tormented by his victim's apparition. His death took place in A. H. 95 (A. D. 714) and was followed in the same year by that of his murderer. Ibn Khali. t Abu Sufiyan Wakii'-b-u'l Jarrah, bornatKufah A. H. 129 an eminent jurisconsult and traditionist. He studied under Abu Hanifah and used to decide points of law. He made the pilgrimage 70 times and on returning from the last, he died at Fayd, a town midway between Mecca and Kiifah A. H. 197 (A. D. 812-3). De Slane, I. K. X Abu Bakr A'bdu'Uah-b-Muhammad-b-U'bayd a member by adoption, of the !^uraysh, and sumamed Ibn Abi' d Dunya, composed works on ascetic and other subjects, and was a traditionist. He was preceptor to some of the Abbaside family and one of hia pupils was al Mua'tadhid. He received a pension of fifteen dinars a month. Died A. H. 281, (A. D. 894). De Slane, I. K.

§ A Tabi'i and one of the seven great jurisconsults of Medina and a traditionist of repute, died A. H. 103. An Nawawi. 8 :

[ 58 ] that the Apostle of God said, " virtuous qualities are three hundred and servant, creates in and sixty in mmber ; when God desires a good he him one of these qualities through which, he may gain admission to paradise." ?" Abu Bakr said " Apostle of God is there in me one of them He replied, " Yes, the sum of them all." And Ibn A'sakir according to another ascription through Sad'akah from some other, " virtuous qualities are ?" three hundred and sixty ;" and Ahu Bakr said " have I any of these He replied, " all of them are in thee, therefore I give thee joy, O Abu Bakr." And Ibn A'sakir, according to the ascription of Mujamma'-b-Yakiib the Auxiliary, from his father, who said, " there was a circle of the people round the Apostle of God, clustered together, so that they were as walls around him, but the seat of Abu Bakr among them was vacant, and no one among the people sought to take it, and when Abu Bakr came, he sat down on that seat, and the prophet turned his face towards him and directed to him his discourse, and the people listened. " And from Anas that the Apostle of God said, " the love of Abu Bakr, and gratitude towards him is incumbent upon every one of my people." And he records the same from the tradition of Sahl-b-Saa'd. And from Ayesha, direct from the prophet, " all men shall be judged excepting Abu Bakr."

On what has been handed down of the sayings of the Companions and pious early Muslims* regarding his merit,

Al Bukhdri records on the authority of Jabir, that Omar-b-u'l Khat- tab said, " Abu Bakr is our prince." And al Bayhaki in the " Shaa'b u'l fman'' (people of the faith) from Omar, that he said, " if the faith of Abu

Bakr were weighed against the faith of mankind, it would surely outweigh them." And Ibn Abi Khaythamah and A'bdu'llah-b-Ahmad in the Zawaid uz Zuhd (Profusions of Piety) from Omar that he said, " verily Abu Bakr was ever foremost and conspicuous—verily I would I were " a hair on the breast of Abu Bakr" (Musaddad in his Musnad) ; and I would wish to be in paradise that I might behold Abu Bakr" (Ibn Abi'd " Dunya and Ibn A'sakir) ; and the fragrance of Abu Bakr is sweeter than the fragrance of musk" (Abu Nua'ym). Ibn A'sakir records from A'li that he went to Abu Bakr and found that he was reciting the praises of God, and he said " no one shall look

* According to Abu'l Mahdsin i-ftl-Jl is particularly applied to Ayosha, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman Talliah, az Zubayr, Mu'awiyah and A'mr-b-u'l A'a? Jl,«aJ| t_ftLJ| ig applied to the first chief persona of the Tiibi'is. Lane, [ 59 ]

upon God, with the record of his deeds in Ms hand,* who is dearer to me than this praiser of the Lord." And from A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Abi Bakr as Siddik that the Apostle of God said, " Omar, the son of al Khattab hath told me that he never attempted to precede Abu Bakr in a goOd deed, but Abu Bakr was before him in it." And at Tabardni in his Ausat from A'li

that he said, "by Him in whose hand is my life, I never sought to be foremost in any good action, but Abu Bakr anticipated me in it," and from Juhayfah, that A'li said, " the best of men after the Apostle of God, are Abu Bakr and Omar—never shall there be joined together love of me and hatred towards Abu Bakr and Omar in the heart of a true believer." And in the " Kabir" from A'mr, that he said, " three among the Kuraysh are the most comely of the Kuraysh in face, the best of them in disposition,

the most constant in heart ; if they converse with thee, they will not lie to

thee, and if thou speakest with them, they will not give thee the lie, Abu Bakr as Siddik, Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah and Othman-b-A'ffan." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Ibrahimf an Nakha'i, that Abu Bakr was named the Compassionate on account of his benignity and clemency. And Ibn A'sakir from ar Eabii'-b-Anas, that it is written in the Primeval

Eecord,J " Abu Bakr is like unto rain which wherever it falleth, it doeth good." Also that ar Eabii' said " I looked among the Companions of the prophet, but I found not a prophet that had a Companion like unto Abu Bakr as

Siddik." And from Az Zuhri, " among the virtues of Abu Bakr was this, that he never doubted concerning God a single moment ?" And from az Zubayr-b-Bakkar, " I heard several of the learned say that the preachers among the Companions of the Apostle of God were Abu Bakr and A'li." And from Abu Hasin, " there was never begotten of Adam among his pro- geny, after the prophets and Apostles, any more eminent than Abu Bakr, and verily Abu Bakr on the day of Apostasy§ stood up as a prophet among the prophets." Ad Dinauri records in the " Mujalisat,"|| and Ibn A'sakir from as Shaa'bi, that he said, " the most pure, the most High God hath

* It is the Muhammadan lielief that at the last day, every man shall stand before seat holding in his hand the record the judgment of his actions inscribed in it by " attendant angels the Katibayn" or the two who are with each man durino- his life. Ibrahim-b-Yazid Nakha'i t Abu I'mran an native of Kufah and celebrated as an died or (A. Imam and doctor. He A. H. 95 96 D. 713-4) aged 49. Kakha'i is from Nakha' a great branch of the tribe of Madhij in Taman. Ibn Khali. % Called also &^=^ ^j^ the Guarded Tablet, existing before all time in which is inscribed everything destined to occur.

§ See note f, page 40. tradition, partly historical, with extracts from poetical 11 A work partly on authors by Ahmad-b-Mardan ad Dinauri of the MaUki school who died A, H. 113. Ittihafu'n Nabala, by Sadik; Hasan Khan of Bhopal. t 60 ] distihguished Abu Bakr by four qualities, by which He hath distinguished

' Witness to the Truth,' none other among men : he named him the (as Siddik) and hath named ' The Witness to the Truth' none other besides him, and he was the Companion in the Cave with the Apostle of God, and his associate in his flight, and the Apostle of God commanded him to read the prayers, the Muslims being witnesses." And Ibn Abi Dauud* in the Kitabu'l Masabih from Abu Jaa'far, that Abu Bakr used to hear the secret converse of Gabriel with the prophet but did not see him. And al Hakim from Ibn u'l Musayyab,t that Abu Bakr stood to the prophet in the place of a Wazir, for he used to consult him in all his affairs, and he was the second to embrace Islam, and the second in the Cave and the second in the shed on the day of Badr, and the second in his sepulchre, J and the Apostle of God never gave precedence of him to any one.

On the tradition and the verses of the Kurdn indicative of the Caliphate of Ahu £ahr and the sayings of the doctors thereon.

m At Tirmidi records with approval, and al Hakim likewise, confirming it on the authority of Hudayfah that the Apostle of God said, " Follow these " two after me, Abu Bakr and Omar." And Abu'I ]Kasim al Baghawi on good authority from A'bda'Uah-b-Omar, " I heard

the Apostle of God say, ' there shall be twelve Caliphs succeeding me, but Abu Bakr shall tarry but a little while.' " There is unanimity regarding the correctness of the first part of this tradition, handed down

in several lines of ascription, and indeed the explanation of it hath already

gone before in the beginning of this book. In the " Sahihayn" it is stated regarding the preceding tradition, that when the prophet was preaching near upon the time of his death and said, " God hath given his servant a choice," and at the end of the tradition^ " there shall not remain a door but it shall be closed save the door of Abu Bakr," and in another reading

* Abu Bakr A'bdu'llali-b-AM Daulid was a Hafidh of the first eminence at Bagh- dad, son of the great traditionist Abu Dauud. He died A. H. 316 (A. D. 928). Ibn Khallakan says that he composed a work called " Kitab u'l Masabih (the Book of Lanterns). Both the printed text and MS. have " Kitab u'l Masdhif" which must be an error. t His father's name must be pronounced Musayyab, says Ibn KhallakAn, (as beiag the passive participle of the verb Sayab) but it is said that Sa'id pronounced it Musayyib (active participle) because he had said " may God reward (sayab) him who pronounces my father's name Musayyib."

X His tomb at Medina is between the tomb of the prophet and that of Omar. § See p. 41. [ 61 ]

of those two authorities, " there shall not remain a wicket in the mosque, but the wiolset of Abu Bakr," the learned assert that this was indicitive of his Caliphate, for he used to go forth through it to prayer with the Muslims." Indeed this reading has come down in the tradition of Anas

and its words are these, " Close ye these doors leading into the mosque, except the door of Abu Bakr." The two Shaykhs record on the authority of Jubayr-b-Mu'tim that he said, " a woman went to the prophet, and he commanded her to come

' ?' to him another time ; she said, suppose I come and find thee not (as

if she spoke of his death). He answered, ' if thou findest me not, then go to Abu Bakr.' " Al Hdkim records and verifies the tradition on the authority of Anas that he said, " the Banti Mustalik* sent me to the Apostle of God, saying, ' ask him—to whom must we give our poor-rate

after his death ?' and I went to him and asked him, and he said ' unto Abu Bakr.' " And Ibn A'sakir from Ibn Abbas that he said, " a woman

went to the prophet to ask something and he said to her ' come again

another time.' She replied ' Apostle of God, if I come and find thee

not?' (referring to his death). He said ' if thou comest and findest me not, then go to Abu Bakr, for verily he shall be Caliph after me.' " And Muslim from Ayesha, " the Apostle of God said to me in his last illness ' call to me thy father and thy brother that I may write a testament, for, verily I fear lest the covetous should covet and speak, saying, " I am the most worthy,' but God and the true believers will reject all save Abu Bakr.' " And Ahmad^and others record the same from her with other she said, " the Apostle of God in ascriptions : according to one of them, his illness of which he died, said to me, ' call to me A'bdu'r Eahman the son of Abu Bakr, that I may write a testament in favour of Abu Bakr, so that none may oppose him after me ;' then he said, ' nay, leave it, God " forbid that the true believers should be at strife regarding Abu Bakr.' And Muslim from Ayesha, that she was asked whom the Apostle of God

would have named as a successor, if he had appointed one : she replied "Abu Bakr." It was said to her "whom next after Abu Bakr ?" she ?" answered "Omar." They said to her " whom after Omar She replied

* The Banu Mustalik (descended]' from Mustalik-t-A'mr-'b-Eal)u'-b-Kharijali) dwelt in the district of Kudayd, between Mecca and Medina near tKe sea coast. In

A. H. 5, this tribe rebelled against Muhammad, but were brought to obedience by his marching against them in person, with Omar and defeating them. Eaudhat u's Safa. Mu^ammad-b-Khawand Shih. It was on his return from the expedition that Ayesha was by an accident, left asleep by the aide of the road and discovered next morning by Safwan-b-u'l Mua'ttal and brought to camp. To save her reputation was the object of the 24th Chapter of the Kuran. [ 62 ]

" Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah." And the two Shaykhs from Abu Musa* al Asha'ri that he said, " the prophet fell ill and his sickness increased, and he said, ' command Abu Bakr to read prayers before the people.' Ayesha

' answered, Apostle of God, verily he is a man of soft heart : when he

rises up iiji thy place, he will be unable to pray before the people.' Then

he said, ' command Abu Bakr to pray before the people,' but she only repeated what she had said. Again he exclaimed, ' command Abu Bakr to pray before the people—verily ye are the mistressesf of Joseph'—and the Apostle went to him himself. Thus he prayed before the people during the lifetime of the Apostle of God."J In one of the traditions from

Ayesha, the reading is, " I frequently returned to this subject with the Apostle of God and nothing induced me to this frequent recurrence, but

that it did not come into my mind that the people would ever be satisfied that any man should stand in his place after him, and that I saw that no

one would stand in his place but the people would take it as an ill omen, therefore I hoped that that might tm-n the Apostle of God from naming

Abu Bakr." And in the tradition of Ibn Zama'a if is recorded, that the Apostle of God ordered them to read the prayers, and Abu Bakr was not present, but Omar came forth and prayed, then the Apostle of God cried out, " No—no—no—God and the Muslims will not sufEer any but Abu Bakr to pray before the people." And according to the tradition of Ibn Omar,

" Omar recited the Takbir and raised his head angrily and said ' where is the son of Abu Kuhafah ?' " The learned say that in this tradition is the clearest proof that as Siddik was the most eminent of the Companions absolutely, and the most deserving of the Caliphate among them and the best of them in the ofiice of Imam. Al Asha'ri says, " it is indeed undoubtedly ascertained that the Apostle of God commanded as Siddik to pray before the people in the presence of the Fugitives and the Auxiliaries, by his words, ' he shall stand as Imam before the people who is the best read of them in

the Book of God.' This proves that he was the best read, that is the

most learned of them in the Kuran : and verily the Companions themselves were convinced that he was the most deserving of the Caliphate, and among these was Omar (and the words of Omar will follow in the Sfection on the covenant of allegiance) and among them was also A'li."

* A'bdu'llah-T3-!^flays Abu Musa al Asha'ri—such is his name given by Ibn Hajr. He was the arbitrator (see page 10) at Siflfin on the part of A'li, He had served as governor under Muhammad, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and A'li, and died in A. H. 60 (A. D. 670-1). Ibn Khali. t Meaning " entioers to evil." The MS. and printed edition have (y^l for {^\

Lane gives the tradition with lyj^l t Here follows a list of other authorities for this tradition which to avoid the tedious repetition of names, I have omitted. The few whom these could interest are not likely to look for them in an English translation. [• 63 ]

Ibn A'sakir records on his authority that he said, " verily the prophet commanded Abu Bakr to pray before the people and indeed I was present, and I was not absent and was suffering from no illness ;* and we accepted for our temporal affairs what the prophet had approved for our spiritual concerns." The learned say that Abu Bakr was recognised for his fitness for the Imdmate during the time of the prophet. And Ahmad and Abu Dauud and others record on the authority of Sahl-b-Saa'd, that there was a feud in the tribe of A'mr-b-A'uf and the prophet arrived and went to them after midday, that he might make peace between them, and said, " Bilal—if the time of prayers should be at hand and I come not, then command Abu Bakr to pray before the people ;" and when the time for afternoon prayers came, Bilal announced the prayers and then commanded Abu Bakr, and he prayed. Abu Bakr as Shafi'if records in the " Ghilaniyat" and Ibn A'sakir

from HafsahJ that she said to the Apostle of God, " when thou wert ill, thou gavest precedence to Abu Bakr :" he replied, " It was not 1 who preferred him, but God who preferred him." And Ibn Saa'd from al Hasan, that Abu Bakr said, " Apostle of God, I never cease to see myself in vision treading in the courtyards of men:" he replied, " thou shalt be among men as a road/b/- tJiem :" he added, " and I see on my breast what are like unto two spots." He replied " those are two years."§ Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Abu Bakr that he said, " I went to Omar and there were some people engaged in eating in his presence, and he cast his eyes upon a man, the hindmost of the number, and

said, ' what dost thou find of events before thy time in the books thou

readest ?' He replied ' the vicegerent of the Apostle, will be his witness to the truth' " (Siddik). And from Muhammad-b-u'z Zubayr, that he said, " Omar-b-Abdi'l A'zfz sent me to al Hasan of Basrah, to ask him concern-

* That is to say that he was an eye-witness in the full possession of his senses. t Ahu Bakr Muhammad-h-A'bdu'llah-h-Ihrahiin known as al Bazzar, as Shafi'i, died, A. H. 354. The Grhilaniyat is a collection of traditions written from the dictation of the author's Shaykhs. It received its name probahly from Ahu Talih Miiham- mad-h-Muljammad-b-Ibrahim-h-Ghilan, who taught the traditions. He died in A. H.

404. - Ittihafu'l Nubala. first I The daughter of Omar-h-u'l Khattab : her hushand was Hasan-h-Hudafah who fought at Badr and died at Medina—she was then offered hy her father to Abu Bakr and Othman successively who both declined the proposal. Omar, mentioning this circumstance to Muhammad; he replied, " One shall marry Hafsah who is greater than Othman (meaning himself) and one shall marry Othman who is greater than Hafsah" (meaning his own daughter Umm Kulthum). Abu Bakr afterwards excused himself to Omar ty saying that his knowledge of his master's predilection for Hafsah, was the cause of his declining, otherwise he would gladly marry her. Ibn Hajr.

§ Signifying that they were prophetic of the duration of his Caliphate. L «* J

" in" certain things," and I went to him and said to him, Satirfy me regarding that in which people difEer—did the Apostle of God name Abu Bakr " his successor ?" and al Hasan who was seated, stood erect and said, can father. by that God than such a thing be in doubt ! thou hast no Yea, whom there is no other Godj verily he named him his successor, for he was undoubtedly the most learned in divine knowledge and the most devout towards Him and the most steadfast in His fear, inasmuch as he would have died for its sake, even though He had not commanded him thereunto."* And Ibn A'di records from Abu Bakr-b-A'yyashf that be narrates, " ar Eashid said to me, O Abu Bakr how did the people come to appoint Abu Bakr as Siddik successor ?" I said, " O prince of the faithful, God was silent and his apostle was silent, and the true believers were silent." He " replied, " By Allah, thou hast but increased my anxiety." I said, J O prince of the faithful, the prophet fell ill during eight days and BUal went in to him and said, ' Apostle of God, who is to pray before the people ?' He replied, ' command Abu Bakr to pray before the people ;' and Abu Bakr prayed before the people during the eight days, and the divine inspiration continued to descend wpon Muhammad, but the Apostle of God was silent on account of the silence of the Lord, and the Faithful were silent on account of the silence of the Apostle of God ;—this pleased him and he said ' May " God bless thee.' Some of the learned have deduced the Caliphate of as Siddik from the verses of the Kuran. Thus al Bayhaki records from al Hasan of Basrah reg'arding the divine words, " true believers, whoever of you apostatizeth from his religion, God will certainly bring other people to supply his place whom He will love and who will love Him" (Kur. V), that he said, " this, by Allah, signifietk Abu Bakr and his Companions, for when the Arabs apostatized, Abu Bakr and his Companions waged war with them, till he brought them back to Islam." And Yunas-b-Bukayr, from Katadah, that he said, " when the prophet died the Arabs apostatized," then he goes on to relate the expedition of Abu Bakr against them till he says, " and we used to declare that this verse was revealed regarding Abu Bakr and his " Companions, God will certainly bring other people to supply his place,

* " If we had commanded them saying ' Slay yourselves or depart from your houseSj' they would not have done it." Eur. IV. t Abu Bakr Salim-b-A'yyash an eminent Traditionist and native of Kufah. Eigh- teen days after the death of ax Eashid, Ibn Ayyash died at Kufah, A. H. 193 (809J at the age of ninety-eight. Ibn KhaU. " t The text has he said" meaning the narrator. In similar instances in future the English idiom will be followed, to avoid breaks in the narrative and references to footnotes. [ 65 ]

whom He will love and who will love Him," And Ihn Ahi Hatim, from Jiiaybar, regarding the divine words, " say unto the Arabs of the desert who were left behind, ye shall be called forth against a mighty and a warlike nation (Kur. XLVIII), that he said, " these were the Banu Hunay-

fah."* Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Kutaybahf say that this verse is a proof

of the Caliphate of Abu Bakr as Siddik for it was he who summoned the people to fight against them. The Shaykh Abu'l Hasan al Asha'riJ relates

" I heard Abu'l A'bbds-b-u's Shurayh say, that the Caliphate of Abu Bakr is predicted in this verse of the Kuran ;" he adds, " for the learned are agreed

that after its revelation there were no wars to which the people were summoned except those wherein Abu Bakr summoned them§ and the people, to the reduction of the apostates and those who refused tribute." He con-

tinues " this is demonstrative of the right of the succession of Abu Bakr and the duty of allegiance to him, since God has declared that he who turneth away from it " shall be punished with a grievous punishment." (Kur. XLVIII). Ibn Kathir says, " they who interpret the word ' nation' as being the

Vetsisns dcaA. GcTceoks, for them it is sufficient that it was as Siddik who fitted out an army against them, and the final settlement of their affairs was

left in the hands of Omar and Othman, for those two were but branches of as Siddik." The Most High says, " God promiseth unto such of you as believe and do good works that he will cause them to succeed the v/ribe-

lievers in the earth" (Kur. XXIV) ; this verse, says Ibn Kathir, is applicable to the Caliphate of Abu Bakr." Ibn Abi Hatim records in his Com-

* They inhabited al Yamamah and were the followers of Muaaylama Muhammad's rival. Sale, p. 415. t Abu Muhammad A'bdu'Uah-b-Muslim-b-Kutaybah, was a grammarian and philologer of eminence. He taught traditions in Baghdad. He was author of very numerous works on a variety of subjects. His father was a native of Marw ; but he himself was bom at Baghdad, or as some say at Kufah, A. H. 213, (828-9), died A. H 270 (884). Ibn KhaU. t Abu'l Hasan Ali al Asha'ri drew his descent from Abu Musa one of the prophet's Companions. He was an able defender of the Simnite doctrines and the founder of the sect called Asha'ris. Abu Bakr al Bakilani was a great supporter of his peculiar views. He was bom in Basrah, A. H. 270 (883-4) and died at Baghdad between A. H. 330 and 34fl, (941-52). He was at first a MotaziUte but made a public renunciation of his belief in freewill and the creation of the Imuran in the mosque at Basrah and wrote in refutation of that school. His works are 55 in number. Ibn Khali. " § That is the Arabs who were left behind" mentioned in the above verse. These were the tribes of Aslam, Juhaynah, Muzaynah and G-hifar who being summoned to attend Muhammad in the expedition of Hudaybiyah, stayed behind and excused themselves by saying that their families must suffer in their absence, whereas in reality they wanted firmness in the faith and courage to face the Kiuaysk Sale, p, 414 9 I 66 ] mentary on the authority of Abdu'r Eahman-b-Abdi'l Hamid al Mahdi, th^t the jurisdiction of Abu Bakr and Omar is to he found in the Book o£ .God according to the word of God, " God promiseth unto each of you as believe and do good works, that he will cause them to succeed the 'unbelievers in the earth." And al Khatib from Abu Bakr-b-A'yyash, that Abu Bakr as Siddlk is mentioned in the Kuran as the successor of the Apostle of God, for the Most High God says, " to the poor Fugi- tives"* &c., to his word " these are men of veracity." He therefore whom " God calls truthful" cannot lie : and the Companions used to address him " vicegerent of the Apostle of God." Al Bayhaki records on the authority of az Za'faranif that he relates, " I heard as Shafi'i say, " the people concurred in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and that was, because men were in perplexity after the death of the Apostle of God, but they found not beneath the expanse of heaven a better than Abu Bakr, and they placed him in authority over them." Asad u's Sunnah in his Fadhail, (excellencies) records on the authority of M'uawiyah-b-Kurrahf that he said, " the Companions of the Apostle of God never doubted that Abu Bakr was the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, and they never called him anything but vicegerent of the Apostle of God, and they in no case concurred in what was false or erroneous."

Al Hakim records and confirms it on the authority of Ibn Masa'M that he said, "the Muslims never approved a thing to be good, but it was good in the sight of the Lord, and they never judged a thing to be pernicious, but it was pernicious in the sight of the Lord, and verily all the Companions concurred in appointing Abu Bakr successor." And al Hakim, records, ad Dahabi verifying it on the authority of Murrah-b-u'1-Tayyib " that he said, Abu Sufyan§-b-Harb went to A'li and said, " how is it that

* "A part also telongeth to the poor Muhajerin. who have been dispossessed of their houses and their substance, seeking favour from God, and his good will and assisting God and his Apostle. These are men of veracity" (Kui. LIX.) Wherefore Muhammad distributed those spoils among the Muhajerin (Fugitives) only and gave no part to the Auxiliaries, except only to three of them who were in necessitous circumstances. Sale, p. 445.

t Abu A'li al ^asan-b-Mu^ammad-b as Sabbah, az Zu'far&ni, was one of as Shafi'i's disciples. He attained an eminent rank as a doctor of law and tradition, died A. H. 260 (874). Za'farani is derived from az Za'faraniyah (the saffron field) a village near Baghdad. The street of this name in the city is called after this doctor who lived in it. Ibn Khali. % Mu'awiyai.b-Kurrah-b-Iyfa-b-Hilal. was the father ^ He of the celebrated ?:4dhi lyas, Ka'dhi of Basrah, to whom Hariri alludes in his 7th MaUmah, as skilled in tho ait of physiognomy, see his life in Ibn KhaUakan; Mu'4wiyah died A. H. 80 (699). § Abu Sufydn §a:^hr-b-Harb-b-Umayya of the Kuraysh, the father of the Caliph Mu'awiyah. [ 67 1 this authority is with the least of the Kuraysh in insignificance, and the

meanest of them ? (that is Abu Bakr) ; by Allah I would like to pour the Kwaysh upon him, horse and foot." He adds, A'li replied " verily it is long since that thou hast been hostile to Islam, O Abu Sufyan, but that hurts it not at all ; we fijid Abu Bakr worthy of the Caliphate."

On his covenant of altegicmce.

The two Shaykhs record that Omar-b-u'l Khattab addressed the people on his return from the pilgrimage and said in his exhortation—" It hath eome to my knowledge that a certain one among you sayeth, ' were Omar to die, I would swear allegiance to such a one,'—let not any man deceive himself so as to say that fealty to Abu Bakr was hastily given,—although,

it was even so, yet the Lord prevented the evil consequences thereof ; and there is not one among ye to-day behind whom the necks of competitors stop short,* like unto Abu Bakr. Verily he was the best among us when the Apostle of God died. And verily A'li and aa Zubayr and they that were with them, remained behind in the house of Tatimah and all the Auxiliaries tarried behind us in the porch of the Banu Sai'dah, and the Fugitives gathered round Abu Bakr, and I said to him, " O Abu Bakr come with us to our brethren the Auxiliaries ;" and we went, betaking ourselves to them, until we met two worthy menf who told us what the people had done and said " whither are ye going, ye men of the Fugitives ?" I said, " we seek our brethren of the Auxiliaries." They answered, " see, that ye do not approach them, but settle your affairs yov/rselves, ye men of the Fugitives." Then I said, " by Allah, we will go to them ;" and

we went on till we came up to them in the porch of the Banu Sai'-

dah—^and lo ! they were assembled and in the middle of them was a man muffled up in his garments and I said " who is this ?" And they said " Saa'd-b-U'badah"J—and I said " what is the matter with

* " Vor dem man sioh melir teugte" is Weil's translation of tlis passage. Leben

Muham. p. 350. A'bd'ur Eahman-b-A'H as Sbaybani in the Taysirul Wusul inter-

prets it, "before whom the neots of riding camels are cut off or stop short." And Ibn u'l Athir, the brother of the historian in the Kitab u'n Nihaya a treatise on the obscure terms of the traditions, gives it the meaning I have rendered. t These two were according to Zuhri, " Oweim-b-Saidah and Ma'an-b-A'di."

WeU-Leb-Mnham. Vol. II, 352 ; Ma'an was one of those kiUed fighting at Yemamah against Musaylamah. X Abu Thabit Saa'd-b-TJ'badah b-Dulaym of the Banu Sa'i'dah, native of Medina He was the standard bearer of the Auxiliaries in their expeditions. He was distinguished for his liberality. He died in Hawran A. H. 16 and was buried at Mizzah near Damascus. An Nawawi. —

[ 68 ]

him ?" They answered, " He is in pain." And when we were seated, their preacher arose and glorified God as was befitting unto Him, and said, " and now, I say that we are the Auxiliaries of the Lord and the army of Islam, while ye, men of the Fugitives, are but a handful amongst us, and verily a party among you have sallied forth seeking that ye may uproot us and exclude us from power." And when he was silent, pleased I sought to speak, and verily I had embellished a discourse which me, which I intended to speak in presence of Abu Bakr, and verily I feared the want of some severity on his part,* for he was calmer than I and more sedate—Then Abu Bakr said. " Softly with thee," and I was loth to anger him for he was wiser than I, and, by Allah, he did not omit a word of what had so pleased me in its composition, but he spoke it himself unpremeditatedly and surpassed it, so that I was speechless. And he said, " and now, as to what ye have said of good regarding yourselves, indeed ye are worthy of it, and the Arabs do not recognise this authority except in this tribe of the Kuraysh—'they are the noblest of the Arabs by descent and tribe, and verily I approve for ye one of these two men whichever ye please." Then he took my hand and the hand of Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah. I was not displeased with what he otherwise said, but by Allah, were I brought out that thou shouldst strike off my head, though it befell me through no crime of mine, it would be more pleasing to me than that I should rule a people among whom was Abu Bakr. Then a speaker of the Auxiliaries said, " I am of those by means of whose counsel people seek relieff let there he a ruler from among us and a ruler from among ye, men of the Kuraysh." Then the confusion increased and voices rose high until I feared a tumult, and I said, " stretch out thy hand O Abu Bakr," and he stretched out his hand, and I took the oath of fealty to him, and • the Fugitives swore allegiance to him ; then the Auxiliaries swore allegiance to him, and by Allah, in regard to that for which we assembled, we could find nothing more fitting than to swear fealty to Abu Bakr—^we feared that if we separated, from the concourse and no covenant were taken, they might conclude a covenant after our departure so that we should either have to hold to a covenant with them which we did not approve, or to oppose them, whence discord would arise."

An Nasai, Abu Ya'la and al Hakim record, verifying it on the authority of Ibn Masa'lid, that when the Apostle of God died, the Auxi-

• "Weil ioh an ihm etwas Sot&fe vemiisste. Weil-Iieten Muham. Vol. II, p. 361. " t Literally I am their muoh-rutbed little rubbing-post and their propped little palm tree loaded with fruit" i. «., as mangy camels seek relief by rubbing themselves against a post, so I am suoh a post for ye, and I have a family that wUl aid and defend me. See Lane's Lex art Jj.& C 69 ] liaries said, " let there 5e a ruler from among us, and from among ye a ruler," whereupon Omar-b-u'l Khattdb went to them and said—" ye men of the Auxiliaries, know ye not that the Apostle of God commanded Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer ? now which of ye preferreth himself toAbuBakr?" The Auxiliaries exclaimed "God forbid that we should take precedence of Abu Bakr." And Ibn Saa'd, al Hakim, and al Bayhaki from Abu Sa'id al Khudri, " the Apostle of God died, and the people assembled in the house of Saa'd-b- CF'badah and among them were Abu Bakr aijd Omar, and the preachers of the Auxiliaries arose and a man among them began to speak saying, " O ye men of the Fugitives, whenever the Apostle of God appointed one from among you to any authority, he joined unto him one of us ; we think therefore that two men, one from among you, and one from among us, should assume this authority ;" and the preachers of the Auxiliaries followed each other after the same manner. Then Zayd-b-Thdbit arose and said, " do ye not know that the Apostle of God was of the Fugitives, and we were the Auxiliaries of the Apostle of God, therefore are we the Auxiliaries of his vicegerent, as we were his

Auxiliaries." Then he took Abu Bakr by the hand and said " this is your master." Then Omar and afterwards the Fugitives and the Auxiliaries swore allegiance to him, and Abu Bakr agcended the pulpit, and he looked among the chiefs of the people, but beheld not az Zubayr, He therefore summoned az Zubayr and he came and he said, " thou sayest that thou art the son of the aunt of the Apostle of God, and his disciple, dost thou wish to break the staff of the Muslims?" Az Zubayr replied " no blame be laid on thee, vicegerent of the Apostle of God !" and he rose and swore allegiance to him. Then Abu Bakr looked among the chiefs of the people, and he saw not A'li. He therefore summoned him and he came : then he said " thou callest thyself the son of the uncle of the Apostle of God, and related unto him through his daughter, dost thou wish to break the staff of the Muslims ?" He replied " no blame be laid on thee, O vicegerent of the Apostle of God !" and he swore him allegiance." Ibn Ishak records on his " Sirat " (record) from Anas-b-Malik that after Abu Bakr had received the covenant of allegiance in the porch of the Banu Sai'dah, when the morrow came, he seated himself at the pulpit, and Omar rose and spoke before Abu Bakr. And he praised God and magnified him and then said ;" verily the Lord hath centred your authority on the best among you, the Companion of the Apostle of God, and " the second of the two when they two were in the cave," therefore arise and swear allegiance unto him." And the people swore unto Abu Bakr a general allegiance after the allegiance of the Porch. Then Abu Bakr spoke and praised God and magnified Him, then continued, "and now, ye people, verily I have received authority over you [ 70 T

yet if I do well, assist me, though I be not the best among you, aright. Truth is a sacred trust and if I incline to evil, direct me is weak among you, is strong and falsehood is a betrayal. He that unto him his due, if it please' before me, inasmuch as I shall restore weak, inasmuch as I shall take God, and he that is strong among you is people abstaineth not from that which is due from him if it please God. A ignominy, and warring in the cause of the Lord, but he smiteth them with people, but afflicteth them iniquity is never made manifest among a He and his Apostle, with misfortune. Obey me as long as I obey the Lord then obedience ta and when I turn aside from the Lord and his Apostle, the me shall not be obligatory upon you. Kiss up to your prayers—may Lord have mercy upon you." Abu Mdsa-b-U'kbah in his 'Maghazi' (Battles) records, likewise al Hakim, verifying it on the authority of A'bdu'r-Eahman-b-A'uf that Abu Bakr preached and spoke saying, " by Allah, I was never covetous of this authority, neither by day nor by night, nor desirous of it, nor asked it of God either in secret or openly, but I was in fear of sedition. I have no repose in this authority. Verily I am invested with a mighty office, the power and capacity for which are not in me, save by the assistance of God." Then Ali and az Zubayr said, " we were not incensed but for this, that we were put aside from the consultation, yet we think Abu Bakr the most deserving of that authority/ among men, for he was the Companion in the Cave, and we indeed recognise his superiority and his excellence, and verily the Apostle of God while he was yet alive commanded him to pray before the people." And Ibn Saa'd from Fbrahim at Taymi* that he said " when the Apostle of God died, Omar went to Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah" and said " stretch out thy hand, for verily I will swear thee allegiance for thou art the trusted one of this people according to the word of the Apostle of God." And Abu U'baydah replied to Omar, " never before this have I seen in thee weakness of mind since thou hast embraced Islam. What ! wilt thou swear allegiance to me when there is among you as Si'ddik, and he the second of the two ?" And from Muhammad, that Abu Bakr said to Omar, " stretch out thy hand, verily I will swear thee allegiance," but Omar said to him "thou art more meritorious than L" Abu Bakrreplied," thou art

firmer than I" and again he repeated it, but Omar said, " then verily thou hast my firmness together with thy merit," and he swore allegiance to him. And Ahmad from Hamid-b-A'bdi'r Eahman-b-A'uf, " the Apostle of God died, and Abu Bakr was with some of the people of Medina, and he came

• Ibrahim-'b-u'l Hfaith-b-Klialid-b-Sakhr at Taymi, of the Kuraysh. According to al Bukhari, ho and his father wero among the Fugitives. That ho survived Muljsun- mad is all that is known of him by Ibn Hajr. [ 71 ] and uncovered his face and kissed it and said ' May my father and my mother he a ransom for thee ? how sweet wert thou in life and art in — and he repeated death ! Muhammad is dead—by the Lord of the Kaabah " the tradition"—he adds " Abu Bakr and Omar departed leading each other along until they came to the Auxiliaries and Abu Bakr spake and did not omit a thing of what had been revealed regarding the Auxiliaries, nor of what the Apostle of God had said concerning them, but he - mentioned it and exclaimed, ' verily ye Icnow that the Apostle of God said, " were the people to march in one valley, and the Auxiliaries marched in another valley, I would march in the valley of the Auxiliaries ;" and verily thou knowest Saa'd,* that the Apostle of God said when thou wert seated by, " the Kuraysh are the masters of this authority and the good men will follow those of them that are good, and the wicked will follow the wicked among them." Then Saa'd said to him—" thou hast spoken truly—we are the ministers and ye are the princes." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Abu Sa'id al Khudri that when homage was paid to Abu Bakr, he saw some dissatisfaction among the people and he said, " what keeps you back men ? am not I the most deserving of this authority among you ? was not I the first to embrace Islam ? was not I this and that ?" and he mentioned his qualifications. And Ahmad Eafi't u'l Tai that he said, " Abu Bakr told me of the allegiance sworn to him and what the Auxiliaries and what Omar had said to him and he added

" then they swore allegiance to me and I accepted it from them, for I feared lest discord should arise and apostasy follow it." And Ibn Ishak and

Ibn A'aidJ in his ' Maghazi,' from the same, that he said to Abu Bakr, " what brought thee to take upon thyself the government of the people, when verily thou hadst forbidden me to rule over two of them ?" He replied " I found no way of avoiding it I feared dissensions among the people of Muhammad."

And Ahmad from Kays-b-Abi Hazim, verily I was seated by Abu Bakr as Siddik about a month after the death of the Apostle of God and he was

• Saa'd-b-Ubadah. t Eafl'-b-A'mr-b-Jabir-b-Haiith at Ta'i. In the time of ignorance he lived as a robber and used to fill ostrich eggs with water and hide them in various places in the desert for his own use, and when he became a convert he became a guide for the Muslims in their expeditions. He had made a particular friend of Abu Bakr at the engagement of Dat SalasU, who used to allow him to sleep on his own bedding and gave him some of his own clothes to wear and acted as his spiritual director. He died at the close of the Caliphate of Omar. Ibn Hajr. X The text has A'abid, for A'aid. The author's real name is Abu A'bdu'Uah Muhammad-b-A'aid of the tribe of ;5"™ysh, a native of Damascus and like Ibn Ishak the author of a Maghazi. Kashfu'd Dhunun. [ 72 ]

relating the account of it, when the summons to prayer went forth among the people, and the people assembled together and he ascended the pulpit and said, " O men, I would indeed have been glad if another had sufficed for this in my stead, and though you have taken me according to the command of your prophet, I am not capable of ferfarming its duties, for

tlie prophet was indeed preserved from the deceits of the evil one, and inspiration descended upon him from heaven." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of al Hasan of Basrah that when allegiance was sworn to Abu Bakr, he stood up and preached saying, " and now, verily I have been placed in this authority, though I am averse from it, and by Allah, I would have been pleased if any of you had sufficed for it in my stead, but if you charge me to act unto you as did the Apostle of God, I could not undertake it, for the Apostle of God was a servant whom the Lord honored with His inspiration and preserved him thereby from error, and surely I am a mortal and am not better than any one of you—therefore watch over me—and when you see that I am steadfast, then obey me, and when you see that I tui'n asidiSi from tJie right path, set me aright. And know that I have a devil that seizes upon me, therefore when you see me enraged, avoid me, for at that time, I cannot be influenced by your counsels or your glad salutations." And Ibn Saa'd and al Khatib, according to the narration of Malik from U'rwah, that when Abu Bakr assumed the supreme power, he preached to the people and he praised God and magnified Him and said, " and now, verily I have been made to rule over you though I am not the most worthy among you ; but the Kuran was revealed and the prophet declared the law, and instructed us and we learnt of him ; and know, O ' men, that piety is the most solid goodness, and the vilest of what is vile is vice, and verily the strongest among you before me is he that is weak, inasmuch as I shall take for him what is due to him and the weakest among you before me is he that is strong inasmuch as I shall take from him that which is due by him : O men, verily I am a follower and not an innovator, therefore when I do well, aid me, and if I turn aside, direct me aright. I have spoken, and may God have mercy upon me and upon you." Mdlik says, ' no one ever becomes Imam except upon this condition.' Al Hakim records in his Mustadrak (supplement) from Abu Hurayrah that when the Apostle of God died,

Mecca was convulsed by an earthquake, and Abu Euhafah noticed it and said "what is this." They said, " the Apostle of God is dead." He answered. " It is a momentous thing, who then hath risen up in authority after him ?" They said, " thy son." He replied, " will the Banu A'bd Mandf and the Banu'l Mughirah consent to this ?" They answered " yes." He exclaimed, " there is no overthrower of that which hath been exalted, and no exalter of that which hath been humbled." Al Wdkidi records with —

[ 73 ] ascriptions to Ayesha, Ibn Omar, Sa'id-b-u'l Mussayyab and others, that allegiance was sworn to Abu Bakr on the day of the death of the Apostle of God, Monday* the 12th of Rabii' u'l Awwal, in the 11th year of the Hijrah. And at TabarAni in his Ausat from Ibn Omar, that he said, " Abu Bakr never seated himself in the place of the Apostle of God in the pulpit, until after he had passed to the Lord, and Omar never sat in the seat of Abu Bakr nor Othman in that of Omar until they had passed to the Lord."

On what occurred during Ms Oaliphate and the chief events that tooh placer during his time, such as the despatch of the army of TTsamah, the slaughter of the apostates and those who refused the poor rate, Musaylamah the liar and the collection of the Kurdn.

Al Isma'ilif records on the authority of Omar that he said, " when the Apostle of God died, some of the Arabs fell from the faith and they

said, ' we will perform the prayers, but we will not pay the poor rate :' I went to Abu Bakr and said, ' O vicegerent of the Apostle of God, conciliate the people and be indulgent to them for they are but on a level with brute beasts:' and he replied, ' I hoped for thy help and thou hast come to me withholding thy aid thou wert haughty in the time of ignorance and art meanspirited in Islam—wherefore then should I conciliate them by lying verses and deceitful eloquence ? Alas ! alas ! the prophet is dead and divine inspiration is withheld ! By Allah, I will do battle with them as long as I can grasp a sword in my hand, even if they deny me the worth of a camel's halter.' " Omar adds, "I found him in this business more energetic and determined than myself, and he governed the affairs of the people with justice—^thus many of their difficulties were made easy to me when I came to rule them." And Abu'l Kasim al Baghawi, and Abu Bakr as Shafi'i in his " Fawaid," (Useful Observations) and Ibn A' sakir record from

Ayesha that she said, " when the Apostle of God died, hypocrisy raised its head, and the Arabs apostatized and the Auxiliaries turned away and if

• " TJInfin Mahomed mourut un samedi, second jour de la semaine ohfez les Musul- maus dans le moi Eabie premier." I know not on what authority BoulainviUiers day") to he Saturday. See Vie de Mahomed, p. 440. makes j^xi" 5ll /•_jJ ("the second great Shafi'i doctor, famous for his t Ahu Bakr Ahmad-b-Ibrahim al Isma'Ui, a knowledge of the law and tradition. He was the author of numerous works on tradition. He died in Rajah A. H. 371 (982) aged 94. His son Ahu Saa'd, called also al Isma'fli, studied under his father and became Shaykh of the Shafi'is in Jurjan, died A. H. 396, (A. D. 1005-6) aged 63. De Slanc, Ibn Khali. 10 —

[ 74 ] what fell upon my father had fallen upon the solid mountains, it would

have crushed them ; and the Companions never disputed a single point, but he was prompt with its advantages and its merits. They said ' where is the prophet to be buried ?' and we found no one who had any knowledge

regarding this ; but Abu Bakr exclaimed, I heard the Apostle of God say, " no prophet died but he was buried under the bed in which be expired.' Aysha adds, " they disputed regarding his inheritance, and they found no one

' who had any information on this point ; but Abu Bakr exclaimed, I heard the Apostle of God say, " we, the Company of the prophets are not inherited of—that which we leave is the portion of the poor." Some of the learned say that this was the first disagreement that occurred among the Companions, for some of them said, " let us bury him in Mecca, the city wherein he was born," and others said, " nay, in his mosque," and others " nay, in the cemetery of Medina," and others " nay in Jerusalem, the Sepulchre of the prophets," until Abu Bakr informed them of what he knew. Ibn Zunjawayh says, that as Siddik was the single authority for this tradition among the Fugitives and Auxiliaries, and they had recourse to him for it. Al Bayhaki and Ibn A'sakir record on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, that he said, " by Him, than whom there is no other God, if Abu Bakr had not been appointed Caliph, God would not have been worshipped,"—this he said a second, and again a third time ; then they said to him, " how so, Aba Hurayrah !" and he said, " verily the Apostle of God sent Usamah-b-Zayd at the head of seven hundred men to Syria and when they reached Dii Khushub* the prophet died, and the Arabs round about Medina apostatized, and the Companions of the Apostle of God gathered about Abu Baler and they said, " recall these will you send these against the Greeks while the Arabs around Medina have apostatized ?" but he said, " by Him, than whom there is no other God, were dogs to drag the wives of the prophet by their feet, I would not recall an army despatched by the Apostle of God, nor would I dismount a standard that he had bound." He therefore despatched TJsamah, who so acted that he never passed in his march by a tribe inclined to apostatize but they said, " were there no strength in them, such as these would not have gone forth from among them, but let us leave them to encounter the Greeks;" and they encountered them and defeated them and slew them and returned in safety whereupon those others remained steadfast in Islam." " And from U'rwah, the Apostle of God kept saying in his illness, ' despatch the army of Usamah.' He therefore set out until he reached " Jurf,"t and the prophet's wife Patimah sent to him saying, " hasten not, for verily the Apostle of God is grievously sick," and he did not proceed * A valley about ono march from Medina. Ya^:tit, M. B. t Three miles from Medina on the road to Syria, —

[ 75 ]

until the Apostle of God died and when he was dead, Usamah returned to Abu. Bakr and said, " verily the Apostle of God sent me forth but we were under different circumstances to what you are now—verily I fear lest the Arabs apostatize and if they apostatize, they should be the first to be' attacked, and if they do not apostatize I will set forth, for with me are the chiefs of the people and the most distinguished amongst them." Then Abu Bakr preached to the people and said, " by Allah, were* a bird of prey to carry me off, it would be more pleasing to me than that I should set about anything before the command of the Apostle of God: he therefore despatched him." Ad Dahabi says that when the death of the Apostle of God became known round about, many of the Arab tribes apostatized from Islam and refused the payment of the poor rate, and Abu Bakr as Siddik set out to attack them, but Omar and others counselled him to abstain from attack-

ing them, but he said, " by Allah, if they deny me so much as a camel's halter or a kid which they used to pay to the Apostle of God, I will war against

them for the refusal of it ;" then Omar said, " how canst thou war against the people, when verily the Apostle of God said, " I have been commanded to do battle against men until they confess that there is no God but God, and verily

Muhammad is the Apostle of God, and whoever confesseth it his property and life are safe from me, save in the claim and account of God therein." Abu Bakr replied, " by Allah, I will surely oppose by force those who dis-

tinguish between prayers and the poor rate, for the poor rate is a due from property and verily ^Ae j^j-qpAei! said " save in the claim therein." Omar says, " then, by Allah, I saw it was nothing else than that God had disposed the heart of Abu Bakr to combat them and I knew that it was just." And on the authority of U'rwah, " Abu Bakr set out with the Fugitives and Auxiliaries until they reached Naka'a over against Najd, and the Arabs

fled with their families and the people addressed Abu Bakr, saying, " return to Medina and to the children and women, and set a man in command of the army," and they did not desist until he returned and appointed Khalid-b-u'l Walid and said to him, " when they shall have embraced the faith, and paid the poor rate, then let any among you who so wishes, return," and he went back to Medina. Ad Darakutni records on the authority of Ibn Omar, that when Abu Bakr set forth and was mounted upon his camel, A'li-b-Abi Talib took it by the bridle and said, " whither goest thou, Vicegerent of the Apostle of

God ? I say unto thee that which the Apostle of God said unto thee on the day of Ohud, ' sheath thy sword and make us not anxious for thy person' and turn back to Medina, for, by Allah, if we suffer loss in thee, Islam will

* MeanLng were he carrion and a feast for birds of prey. [ 76 ]

Laythi, tliat Abu never be set in order." And from Handhalak-b-A'li-al Bakr despatched Khalid and commanded him to war against men for five any one of these, he should attack him as he objects ; whosoever refused would attack any who had refused all the five, viz., the confession of faith and " verily there is no God, but God and—verily Muhammad is his servant the his apostle—the institution of prayers—the donation of the poor rate, fast of Eamadhan, Khalid and those who were with him, then went forth in Jumada' '1 Akhir and he attacked the Banu Asad and Ghatfan and slew whom he slew, and captured whom he captured, and the rest returned to the Companions who were slain in this affair were U'kashah*- Islam ; and of b-Mihsan and Thdbit-b-Akram. In Eamadhan of this year, died Tatimah daughter of the Apostle of God, the chief of women upon earth, her age being four and twenty. Ad Dahabi says that the Apostle of God had no descendants but by her, for the posterity of his daughter Zaynabf became extinct (so says az Zubayr-b-Bakkar) and Umm AymanJ died a month before her. In the month of Shawwal died A'bdu'Uah the son of Abu Bakr as Siddik. After this Khalid set out with his army for Tamama to attack Musaylamah the liar towards the end of the year. The armies met and the

investment§ lasted some days. At length Musaylamah the liar, God curse him, was slain—Wahshi the slayer of Hamzah killed him. Among the Companions that fell in this engagement were Abu Huday- fah-b-U'tbah, Salim his freedman, ShuJaa'-b-Wahab, Zayd-b-u'l Khattab- A'bdu'llah-b-Sahl, Malik-b-A'mr Tufayl-b-A'mr a'd Dausi, Yazid-b-Kays, A'amir-b-Bukayr, A'bdu'Uah-b-Makhramah, Saib-b Othman-b-Madha'un, Ubad-b-Bashir, Maa'n-b-A'di, Thabit-b-Kays-b-Shamas, Abu Dujanah Simak-b-Harb, and others amounting to seventy. Musaylamah || on the

* One of the Companions held in much favour hy Muhammad. At Badr his sword hroke and Muhammad gave him a dried palm hranoh which became in his hand a sword with a white blade and a firm handle with which he returned to the battle. He was one of the 70 to whom Muhammad promised paradise without the judgment being held regarding them. He was 44 years old when Muhammad died. An Nawawi. t She married her aunt's son A'bu'l Afai-b-i'r Eabii' al A'bshami. Ibn Hajr. X His foster-mother Barakah, an Abyssinian slave girl who tended Muhammad on the death of his father A'bdu'Uah, and continued in the capacity of his nurse after the death of his mother Amina. She married Zayd-b-Haritha. Tbn Hajr.

§ The followers of Musaylamah retired into a garden called the " Hadfkatu'l A'bdi'r Eahman, and afterwards ' Hadikatu'l Mawt, or the garden of death, and there defended themselves to the last. According to the account of Wahshi quoted in the Eaudhat u's Safa he allows Ibn Am&ra a share in the death of Musaylamah as they both attacked him at the same time. Hamzah the uncle of Muljammad was slain at the battle of Ohud. These were only the principal " II men among the fallen, for says iQilbon in the [ 77 ] day he was slain was a hundred and* fifty years old, his birth Tiaving tahen place before that of A'bdu'llah the father of the prophet. In the year 12 A. H. as Siddik sent al A'la-b-u'l Hadhrami to Bahrayn where they had apostatized, and the armies met at Jawatha, and the Muslims were victorious. Then he sent A'kramah-b-Abi Jahl to A'mman where they had also fallen from the faith, and he despatched al Muhajir-b-Abi Umayyah, against the people of Nujayr who likewise had apostatized, and Ziyad-b-Labid the Auxiliary, against another body of the apostates. In this year died Abu'l A'asi-b-u'r Eabii' the husband of Zaynab daughter of the Apostle of God, and as Saa'd-b-Jaththamah al Laythi and Abu Marthad al Ghanawi. In this year likewise, after the reduction of the apostates as Siddik sent Khalid-b-u'l Walid to the land of Basrah, who attacked Ubulla and

captured it and took Mad&in Kisra, the one in Irak, partly by treaty and partly by force. During the same, Abu Bakr undertook the pilgrimage and despatched A'mar-b-u'l A'as and the army to Syria and there occurred the battle of Ajnadayn in the month of the first Jumada A. H. 13, and the Muslims were victorious and Abu Bakr received the good tidings of it when he was dying. In this battle, there fell A'krahmah-b-Abi Jahl and Hisham-b-u'l A'asi and others. In the same year took place the engagement of Marju's Suffar,t where the infidels were defeated and al Fadhl- b-u'l A'bbas and ot!hers were kiUed.

The Collection of the Kttrdn.

Al Bukhari records on the authority of Zayd-b-Thabit that he said, " Abu Bakr sent for me at the time of the slaughter of the people at Tamama, Omar being with him and said ' verily Omar hath come to me saying, " the slaughter of the men at Yamama was great and I fear lest

first action thy were repulsed with a loss of twelve himdred men : their defeat was avenged by the slaughter of 1000 infidels and Museilama himself was pierced, by an Ethiopian slave with the same javelin which had mortally wounded the uncle of Ma- homet." Decline and Fall. * This must be a great exaggeration as it was but a short time before his death that the prophetess Sajah fell in love with him for the beauty and manliness of his person. After his death she resided with the Taghlabites and was converted in the Caliphate of Mu'awiyah. Abu'l Feda Annales, p. 212. t Close to Damascus. Several skirmishes took place before Damascus, during the siege, little to the credit of the warriors of the Cross. For a detailed account of this period, consult the interesting pages of Ockley. [ 78 ]

the loss in action of the readers of the Kuran in the provinces become excessive, and therefore much of the Kuran may be lost unless they collect it together, and verily I think that the Kurdn should be collected." Abu Bakr went on, " and I replied to Omar, how shall I do the thing which the Apostle of God hath not done" ? Omar answered " by AUah, it is a good work," and he did not cease to persist with me in this matter until God enlightened my mind concerning it, and I have come to think as Omar " thinks." Zayd adds, Omar, was meanwhile seated by him not speaking : then Abu Bakr said, " thou art an intelligent youth and I have no doubts regarding thee, and verily thou wert he who recorded the revela- tions of the Apostle of God, search therefore for the Kuran and collect it." And by Allah, had he charged me with the carrying away of a hill from among the mountains, it would not have been weightier upon me than that which he commanded me in the collection of the Kuran, and I said, " how can you two undertake a thing which the Apostle of God hath not donej'" and Abu Bakr said, "by Allah, it is a good work," a»d I did not cease discussing it with him, until God enlightened my mind in that towards which he had already disposed the minds of Abu Bakr and Omar.

And I searched for the Kuran and collected it from scraps of paper and shoulder-blades* and leafless palm branches, and the minds of men until I found from the Sura of Eepentanee (IX) two verses in the possession of Khuzaymah-b-Thabit which I found with no one else viz., " now hath an Apostle come to you of your own nation" (Kur. IX), to the end. Tlie pages in which the Kuran was collected remained with Abu Bakr until the Lord took him to Himself, then with Omar until the Lord took him to Himself, and afterwards with Hafsah daughter of Omar. Abu Ta'la records on the authority of A'li that he said, " the greatest among men meriting reward for the volumes of the Kuran is Abu Bakr, for he it was who first collected the Kuran between two boards."

On the things in which he was foremost.

Among these are, that he was the first to embrace Islam, the first to collect the Kuran, the first who named it ' Mushaf,' (the Book) the proof of which has been advanced, and he was the first who was called Caliph.

Ahmad records on the authority of Abu Bakr-b-Abi Mulaykah, that he said, Abu Bakr was once addressed " Vicegerent of God." He replied, "I am

* On oompariBg the passage with the Sahilj of al Bukhari I find a slight difference in the reading in various places ' : for shoulder-hlades' (Jlifi or as I should prefer to read oUfl al Bukhari JjlaJ, has thin whitish stones. [ 79 1 the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God and with this I am content." He was the first who ruled the Caliphate while his father was yet alive, and the first Caliph for whom his subjects appointed a stipend. Al Bubhari records from Ayesha that she narrates, " when Abu Bakr was appointed

Caliph he said, " my people know that my profession* is not insuiBcienfc for the provision of my family, but I am busied with the affairs of the Muslims and the family of Abu Bakr will soon consume this property of Ms while he is labouring for the Muslims." And Ibn Saa'd from A'ta-b- u's Saibf that he said, "after allegiance had been sworn unto Abu Bakr, next morning he arose and was going to the market place with some mantles upon his arm, when Omar said to him, " whither art thou going ?" He replied, " to the market place :" Omar said, " dost thou do this although thou hast been given to rule over the Muslims ?" He answered, " whence, then shall my family be fed?" Omar replied, "Come! A'bu U'baydah shall provide for thee :" and they went to Abu U'baydah and he said " I will set apart for 'thee, the allowance for one man of the Fugitives —neither that assigned to the best, nor to the meanest among them, and a garment for

winter and for summer ; when thou hast worn a thing out ; thou canst return it and take another." Then he assigned unto him every day, half a sheep and the wherewith to cover his head and his person. And from Maymlin, " when Abu Bakr became Caliph, they assigned to him two thousand dirhams, and he said, " increase the sum for me for I have a family,

and you have employed me on other work than my own trade" ; so they gave him an increase of five hundred dirhams." At Tabarani records in his Musnad on the authority of al Hasan-b-A'Ii- b-Abi Talib that he said, " when Abu Bakr was near unto death, he said, " O Ayesha, behold the camel, the milk of which we have drank, and the plat-

ter in which we prepared our food, and the garments we have worn ; verily we made use of them when wo governed the affairs of the Muslims. When I die, give them to Omar." When therefore Abu Bakr died, she sent them to Omar, and he said, " the Lord have mercy upon thee, Abu Bakr, for verily thou hast afilicted him who cometh after thee." And Ibn Abi'd Dunya, from Abu Bakr-b-Hafs that he said, " Abu Bakr, when he was near unto death, said to Ayesha, " daughter—we have governed the affairs of the Muslims and have not taken for ourselves either a dinar or a dirham, but we have

eaten the fill of our bellies with the coarse flour of their food, and clothed our backs with their rough garments and there doth not remain with us of the booty taken by the Muslims, save this Nubian slave and this camel

* He was by trade a oloth-merohant. t Atu's Saib A'ta-bu's Saib-b-Maiik a member of the tribe of Thakif and a native

of Kfifah, a traditionist of good authority, died A, H, 136 (753-4). De Slane, I. K. [ 80 ] for drawing water, and this coarse garment, but when I die, send them to Omar." He was the first also, to establish a public treasury. Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Sahl-b-Abi Khaythamah and others that Abu Bakr had the public treasury at Sunh,* over which no one kept guard. ?" It was said to him " wilt thou not place over it some one to guard it " He replied, there is a lock upon it" : and he used to give away what was in it till it was empty. But when he removed into the city he transferred it and placed it in his house ; and the revenue came in to him, and he used to distribute it amongst the poor and divide it equally amongst them. He used also to purchase camels and horses and arms and give them away for brought in the service of God ; and he used to buy garments that were from the desert tracts and distribute them amongst the widows of Medina. When Abu Bakr died and was buried, Omar summoned the trustees amongst them being A'bdu'r Eahman-b -A'uf and Othman-b-A'ffan, and entered with them into the treasury of Abu Bakr ; and they opened the treasury, but they did not find a thing in it, neither a dinar nor a dirham. I observe that this tradition refutes the remark of al A'skari in his Awayil (Beginnings) that the first who instituted a public treasury was Omar, and that neither the prophet possessed a public treasury nor Abu Bakr. Indeed I have refuted this in the work which I composed on the Awayil. Moreover I have observed that al A'skari himself adverted to it in another part of his book, for he says that the first who superintended the public treasury was Abu U'baydah b-u'l Jarrah on the part of Abu Bakr.

Al Hakim says that the first surname in Islam, was the surname of Aba Bakr, Atik. The two Shaykhs record on the authorii^ of Jabir that the Apostle of God said to Mm, " when the tribute comes from Bahrayn I will give thee so much and so much," but when the tribute from Bahrayn came in after the death of the Apostle of God, Abu Bakr said—" he who hath a claim against the Apostle of God or a promise ^om 7i»OT, let him come to us," and I went and informed him and he said " take," and I took and found that the promise was for five hundred dirhams, but he gave me two thousand five hundred.

* In one of the euburbs of Medina about a mile distant from the house of Mu- hammad. Ya^ut, M, B. [ 81 •]

On some examples of Ms gentleness and humility.

Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Anisah,* that she said, " Abu Bakr settled amongst us three years before he was appointed Caliph, and one year after he became so, and the girls of the tribe used to go to him with their flocks and he used to milk them for them." And Ahmad in th& " Zuhd" from Maymlin-b-Mihran that he said, " a man went to Abu Bakr and said ' to thee, " peace be Vicegerent of the Apostle of God.' He replied " who among these assembled is he ?" And Ibn A'sakir from Abu Salih al Ghifari, that Omar-b-u'l Khattab was in the habit of ministering at night to an aged blind woman in one of the suburbs of the city, and he used to give her to drink and assist her, and it came to pass that he went to her and found another who was before him with her and who did what she required. He went again another time that he might not be anticipated in attendance on her, and lay in wait for him and behold it was Abu Bakr who was going to her, he being at that time Caliph, and Omar exclaimed " by my life, thou art the man I" And Abu Nna'ym and others from A'bdu'r Bahmdn al Ispahani that al Hasan the son of A'li went to Abu Bakr, who was then on the pulpit of the Apostle of Grod, and said " come down from the seat of my father," and he answered, " thou speakest

truly for this is thy father's seat" ; and he put him on his lap and wept and A'li said, " by Allah, this was not said by my command," and Abu

Bakr said, "thou speakest the truth ; by Allah, I did not suspect thee." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Ibn Omar that he said, " the prophet appointed Abu Bakr to lead the pilgrimage in the first pilgrimage

that took place in Islam ; then the Apostle of God performed it himself the following year, and when the Apostle of God died^ and Aba Bakr became Caliph, he appointed Omar-b-u'l Khattab to lead the pilgrimao-e and performed it himself the year following, and when Abu Bakr died and Omar became Caliph, he appointed A'bdu'r Eahman-b-A'uf over the pilgrimao-e.

Subsequently Omar failed not to perform it himself each year till his death wlien Othman succeeded to the Caliphate, and he appointed A'bdu'r Eah- man-b-Auf over the pilgrimage."

On his illness, death and last testament and. the Oaliphate of Omar.

Sayf and al Hakim record on the authority of Ibn Omar that th e cause of the death of Abu Bakr was through excessive grief for the death

* Daughter of Khutayb-b-Yasaf, one of the Auxiliaries. She accompanied Mu- ^lammad in some of his pilgrimages and related traditions from him. Ihn Hajr. 11 [ 82 ]

of the Apostle of God, his body continuing to waste away until he died.

And Ibn Saa'd and al Hakim on good authorities from Ibn Shihab, that Abu Bakr and al Harith-b-Kaladah* were eating broth which had been sent as a present to Abu Bakr, when al Harith said to Abu Bakr, " with-; draw thy hand, O Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, for by Allah, there is

poison in it, that will do its worTc in a year, and I and thou shall both die on the same day." And he withdrew his hand, and these two did not fail to sicken until they died on the same day about the close of the year. And al Hakim from Shaa'bi that he said, " what can we expect from this vile world when even the Apostle of God was poisoned and poisoned was Abu Bakr ?" And al Wakidi and al Hakim from Ayesha that the beginning of the sickness of Abu Bakr, was that he bathed, on Monday the 7th of Jumada'l Akhirah, and the day was cold and he took fever for fifteen days and did not come forth to prayers and died on Tuesday the 22nd of Jumada'l Akhirah in the thirteenth year of the Hijrah being sixty-three years old (23rd August, 634)- Ibn Saa'd and Ibn Abi 'd Dunya record on the authority of Abu's Safar that the Companions went in unto Abu Bakr in his sickness and said, " O Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, shall we caU unto thee a physician that he may look to thee ?" He replied, " verily he hath already seen " me." And they answered what did he say ?" He said, " verily I effect that which I please."t And al Wakidi on different authorities, that when

Abu Bakr sickened, he summoned A'bdu'r Eahmdn-b'-Auf and said, " tell me of Omar-b-u'l Khattab." He replied " thou canst not ask me concerning anything but thou art better acquainted with it than I." Abu Bakr said " well, even so." A'bdu'r Eahmdn answered, " by Allah, he is even better than thy opinion of him." Then he summoned Othman-b-A'ffan and said, "tell me of Omar-b-u'l Khattab" and he answered, "thou knowest more of " him than I." Abu Bakr replied, Be it so." The " other replied, verily, my knowledge of him is that his inward disposition is better than his outward appearance, and indeed there is not his like

* One of Muhammad's Companions—of the tribe of Thakif, and a judge of the Arabs. His wife was al Farigha daughter to Hammam-b-tT'rwai, ; going into her apartment one morning he found her picking her teeth on which he sent her a sentence of divorce for said he " if you have breakfasted before your time, you arc a glutton and if you have passed the night with particles of meat between your teeth, you are a slut." To this she replied that it was neither one nor the other, but that she was removing the fragment of a toothpick. She afterwards married Yusnf-b-tJ'^ayl to whom she bore the tyrant at Hajjdj. Ibn Khali. Taken t with a slight alteration from the Kur, chapters XI and LXXXV. ;

[ 83 ] amongst us." Abu Bakr consulted together with those two, Sa'id-b-Zayd, and Usayd-b-u'l Hudhayr, and others from among the Fugitives and Auxi- " liaries, and Usayd said, verily, I think him the best after thee ; he approves

what merits approval, and is indignant with what deserves wrath

what he conceals is better than what he suffers to appear, and no one can sway this authority more vigorously than he." Some of the Companions went unto Abu Bakr and one of them spake to him saying, " what wilt thou say to thy Lord, when He asketh of thee regarding the appointment

of Omar over us, and verily thou seest his asperity of temper" : and Abu Bakr said, " by Allah, dost thou think to terrify me ? I shall say God I have given the best of thy people to rule over them. Tell others from me what I have said," Then he summoned Othman and said, " write—In the name of God the most merciful and compassionate. This is the testa-

ment made by Abu Bakr the son of Abu Kuhafah at the close of his life in

the world as he is about to leave it, and at the beginning of his life in the

next, being about to enter it, a time when the infidel believeth and the sinner gaineth certitude, and the liar speaketh the truth. I have made Caliph over you after me, Omar-b-u'l Khattab—therefore hear and obey him, and verily I have not been wanting in my duty to God and His apostle and His religion and myself and you: if therefore he acteth justly, then will my opinion regarding him and my knowledge of him be justified, and if he doeth the contrary, then every action receiveth that

which it hath earned, and I have intended what is good and know not what

is hidden, ' and they who act unjustly shall know hereafter with what treatment they shall be treated' (Kur. XXVI) and peace be to you and the mercy of God and His blessing." He then ordered that they should seal the document. After this he commanded Othman who went forth with the document sealed, and the people swore allegiance and approved it. Then Abu Bakr summoned Omar in private and charged him with what he charged him and Omar left him. Then Abu Bakr lifted up his hands and said, " O God I have wished in this but their good, and I feared discord amongst them, therefore have I done regarding them that which thou

knowest and exerted my faculties for them to the utmost ; and I have appointed to rule over them the best among them and the most vigorous, directeth aright and and the most zealous of them for that which them ; verily what I have recollected of thy commands, I have remembered, therefore put another in my place over them, for they are thy servants and their forelocks* are in thy hands. Instruct, Lord, their rulers and

make him whom tJio'u appointest, to be one of the Orthodox Caliphs and render his subjects righteous towards him."

* By " forelocks'' may be also signified the oMefs of the nation. [ «4 ]

Ibn Saa'd and al Hakim record on the authority of Ibn Masa'iid that he said, " the most sagacious of mankind were three—Abu Bakr when he appointed Omar as Caliph,—the wife of Moses when she said, " Hire him for certain* wages" (Kur. XXVIII) and the minister ofJEcft/ptf when he dis- cerned the character of Joseph from his physiognomy and said to his wife " use him honorably" (Eur. XII). And Ibn A'sakir from Yasar-b-Hamzah that he said, " when Abu Bakr was grievously sick, he stood up over the people from a window and said ' O ye men, verily I have made a covenant, therefore consent ye to it ;' and the people said, ' we consent, O Vicegerent of the Apostle of God ;' then A'li stood up and said, ' I shall not consent unless it be for Omar,' and Abu Bakr replied, ' verily it is fir Omar.' And Ahmad from Ayesha that she said, ' Abu Bakr, when he was nigh unto death said, " what day is this?"' They answered 'Monday:' J he said, ' if I die to-night delay not for me my itlrial until to-morrow, for verily the dearest to me of all days and nights is that which is nearest of them to ihe time of tJie death of the Apostle of God.' And Malik from Ayesha, that Abu Bakr gave to her twenty camel-loads of fruit-cuttings of the palms from his property at Ghabah,§ and when he was nigh unto death, he said, ' O daughter, by Allah, there is not one among the people whose richness is more pleasing to me than thine, and none whose poverty would be more distressing to me after my death, and verily I had given to thee twenty camel-loads of the fruit-cuttings of my palms ; —if thou badst cut them and taken them, they would have been thine, but now they are the property of my heirs, who are verily thy two brothers and thy two sisters—then let them divide it according to the book of God.' She replied, ' father, even had it been so that I had cut them, I would have left them, but surely she, my sister is Asma, who then is the other sister ?' He said, ' the child that is in the womb of the daughter of Kharijah, whom

I think is a girl.' Ibn Saa'd records this tradition and at the end of it adds, 'the child in the womb of the daughter of Kharijah, || verily it hath been put into my heart that it is a girl therefore take charge of her with kindness,' and from her was born Umm Kulthum."

* For this story see Kuran XXVIII and Sale's notes, p. 319. His name was Kitfir t or Itflr (a corruption of Potiphar) and he was man of great consideration, heing superintendent of the royal treasury {al Baydawi). Sale, p. 189. According to a tradition t attested hy an Nawawi and others, on a Monday Mu- hammad was horn, on a Monday he fled from Mecca, on a Monday, he arrived at Medina. His first revelation was made to him on a Monday, and on a Mondav' ho died.

§ Twelve miles from Medina on the road to Syria.

II Khdrijah-h-Zayd-h-Ahi Znhayr one of the Auxiliaries, of the tribe of Khazrai Abu Bakr married his daughter whom he left pregnant at his death. Ibn Hajr. [ 85 ]

Ibn Saa'd records from U'rwah* that Abu Bakr left away a fifth of his property and said, " take of my good that which God taketh of the booty of the Muslims."t And by a different ascription from the same, that Abu Bakr said, " that I should bequeath a fiftb is preferable to me than that I should bequeath a fourth, and to bequeath a fourth is preferable to me than if I bequeathed a third, for he who bequeaths a third, leaves nothing." And Saa'd-b-Man§tir in his Sunnan (Traditions) from ad Dhah- hak,J that Abu Bakr and A'li bequeathed a fifth of their property to such among their relations as did not legally inherit from them. A'bdu'Uah-b-Ahmad records in the Zawaid u'z Zuhd from Ayesha that she said, " by Allah, Abu Bakr did not leave a dinar nor a dirham stamjied with the name of God." And Ibn Saa'd and others from Ayesha, " when Abu Bakr was grievously sick, I recited this verse appositely,

' By thy life, wealth is of no avail to a man : On the day when the death-rattle is in his throat and his breast

is contracted by it.'

and Abu Bakr uncovered his face and said, ' it is not so, but say and the

agony of death shall come in truth ; this O man, is what thou soughtest to avoid' (Kur. L) —behold these my two garments—wash them and shroud me in them, for the living is more in want of new ones than the dead." And Abu Ya'la from Ayesha, " I went to Abu Bakr when he was at the point of death and I said

' whose weeping ceaseth is veiled He not when he ; Verily at some time it shall flow forth.'

* TJ'rwah, was tlie son of Ayesta's siater Asma who received from Muhammad the title of Diltu'n Nitakayn " wearer of the two girdles," for having torn her veil in two, with one half of -which she tied up the wallet of provisions aad the water which Muhammad and Ahu Bakr took with them in their flight to Medina. She was also the mother of the Caliph A'bdu'Uah-h-uz Zuhayr. Ibn Hajr. t By the Muhammadan law, a testator can leave away one-third of his property to whom he chooses, the other two-thirds going to his heirs. Abu Bakr appeared to consider that to leave away the utmost the law allowed would have been ungenerous to his heirs. A fifth of the spoils taken in war by the Muslims became the property of the Caliph for the use of the State.

X Ad Dhahhak-b-Sufyan-b-Kaa'b-b-A'bdi'llah of the Banu Kilab. He was one of the Companions and was counted for his prowess equal to a hundred horsemen. An Nawawi states that it is a glari ng error to call htm the son of !^ays, as some authori- tias do. There were two generals, bearing the name of Dhahhak-b-Kays, mentioned byDeSlane (I. K. Vol. IV, p. 212). He was placed by Muhammad at the head of the Banu Salim who numbered at that time 900 men, saying to them that one who was equal to a hundred men was well able to command a thousand. : : :

[ 86 ]

And he said, ' do not say that, but say " And the agony of death shall

' come in truth ; this, O man, is what thou soughtest to avoid," then he said

' on what day did the Apostle of God die,' I answered ' on a Monday' he said, ' I hope for death between this and the night ;' and he died on Tuesday and was buried before the day broke." And A'bdu'llah-b-Ahmad in the Zawaidu'z Zuhd on the authority of Bakr-b-A'bdillah al Muzani, that when Abu Bakr was nigh unto death, Ayesha seated herself near his head and said. Unto every possessor of camels, do his camels return for water And who so spoileth, shall himself be despoiled.

And Abu Bakr understood it and said, " it is not so, O daughter, but it is as the Lord hath said ' and the agony of death shall come' " &c. And Ah- mad from Ayesha, that she recited appositely this verse when Abu Bakr was dying, " And one so unsullied in honor that the cloud draweth moisture from his face The protection of orphans, the defence of widows." And Abu Bakr said " that must be the Apostle of God." And A'bdu'llah- b-Ahmad in the Zawaid u'z Zuhd from U'bada-b-Kays, that when Abu Bakr was nigh unto death, he said to Ayesha, " wash me these two garments and shroud me in them, for verily thy father shall be one of two men, either robed in the best of garments or stripped by an ignoble stripping." And Ibn Abi 'd Dunya from Abu Mulaykah, that Abu Bakr left as his last commands that his wife Asma the daughter of U'mays, should bathe him, and that A'bdu'r Eahman-b- Abi Bakr should help her. And Ibn Saa'd from Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, that Omar read prayers over Abu Bakr between the tomb and the pulpit of Muhammad and recited the " Takbir,"* four times. And from U'rwah and al Kasim-b-Muhammad, that Abu Bakr left as his last instructions to Ayesha, that he should be buried by the side of the Apostle of God, and when he died, they dug a grave for him and laid his head on a level with the shoulder of the Apostle of God, and the niche of his grave touched the grave of the Apostle of God.f And from Ibn Omar, that Omar, Talhah, Othman and A'bdu'r "S

• In prayers for the dead, the "takbir,"' that is the saying " Allahu Akbar" God is great, is followed the first time, by the recital of the praises of God, the second time by those of Muhammad, the third time by prayers for the living and the dead, and the fourth by the salutation of dismissal " peace be to you" &o.

t Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Omar lie side by side at Medina, the graves in eohellon, so that the head of Abu Bakr's grave rests on a line with the shoulder of that of Muljammad : see a diagram of their position in Burton's Pilgrimage, Vol. II, p. 74. The iijsr' or niche is out into the side of the grave and the body rests therein. : : : : >

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Eahman the son o£ Abu Bakr descended into the grave of Abu Bakr. And he records likewise on several lines of ascription, that he was buried at night. And from Ibn u'l Musayyab that when Abu Bakr died, Mecca was convulsed by an earthquake, and Abu Kuhafah said, " what is that ?" they answered, " thy son is dead." He said, " It is a terrible calamity— who has arisen in authority after him ?" they replied " Omar ;" he exclaimed " He was his companion," And from Mujahid that Abu Kuhafah returned what he had inherited, from Abu Bakr to the son of Abu Bakr and Abu Kuhafah survived Abu Bakr only six months and some days, dying in Muharram A. H. 14, at the age of ninety-seven. The learned say that none but Abu Bakr ruled the Caliphate during the lifetime of his father, and the father of none but of Abu Bakr inherited from his son as Caliph. Al Hakim records on the authority of Ibn Omar that Abu Bakr ruled two years and seven months ; and in the history of Ibn A'sakir, ii is stated with the ascription thereof on the authority of al Asma'i, that Khufaf*-b- Nudbah as Salami said, mourning Abu Bakr.

Tell every living thing that there is no permanence for it And for the whole universe, its decree is destruction. The goods of men are but as a trust Borrowed on the condition of repayment

And a man strives, but there is one who lieth in wait for him : The eye mourneth for him and the ardour of the voice. He groweth old, or is slain, or subdued Sickness that hath no remedy maketh him to lataent. Verily Abu Bakr was as the rain What time Orion causeth not the herbage to grow with moisture.

By Allah, there shall not attain unto the excellence of his days : Neither the youth that wears the Mizar,t nor one that wears the Eida.

He who strives to attain unto the excellence of his days : Earnestly, is apart and solitary upon the earth.

* Khufaf-b-U'inayr-b-al Harith, a descendant of Imtil Kays generally known as rbn Nudbah, the latter beidg his mother's name. She was a captive in the possession of his grandfather Harith, who gave her to his son U'mayr, who had by her Khufaf. He was present at the battle of Hunayn, and at the conquest of Mecca where 'he carried the standard of the Banu Salim. He shared with Durayd the honor of being in the two greatest poets of the Arab chivalry ; died the CaUphate of Omar. Ibn Hajr.

t The Mizar or drawers, covers the lower part of the body, while the Eida is a garment worn over the upper part of the body. I 88 ]

On the traditions related on his authority ascribed to Muhammad. — An Nawawi says in his Tahdib " As Siddik has narrated one hundred and forty-two traditions from the Apostle of God. The reason of the small number of his narrations is that his death preceded the spreading abroad of the traditions and the solicitude of the Tabi'is in listening to them, and collecting and preserving them." I observe that Omar has mentioned in the tradition regarding the oath of allegiance* preceding, " that Abu Bakr did not omit a thing of what had been revealed regarding the Auxiliaries nor what the Apostle of God had said concerning them, but he

mentioned it" : and this is the most complete proof of the extent of his memory of the traditions, and the amplitude of his knowledge of the ]^uran,t and I have thought it expedient to inscribe here, consecutively but briefly his traditions, mentioning after each tradition the authorities that have recorded it, and I purpose to follow them out with their aseriptiong^ in a collected form, if it so please God.

1. The tradition of the Plight, (the two Shaykhs and others.)

2. 2%e tradition, " The waters of the sea are a means of purifying, its dead are lawful to eat." (Darakutni.)

3. The tradition, " The tooth-stick is a means of purifying the- mouth, a cause of approbation to the Lord." (Ahmad.)

4. The tradition that the Apostle of God eat from a shoulder o_f a sheep and then prayed without performing ablution. (Al Bazzar and Abu Ya'la.) 5. The tradition, " Let none of you perform ablution on account of food that he hath eaten, the eating of which is lawful unto him." (Al Baz- zar.)

6. The tradition, the Apostle of Go^ forbade the beating of those who were at prayer. (Abu Ya'la and al Bazzar.) 7- The tradition, " The last prayers the prophet prayed, he prayed behind me, wearing a single garment."

8. The tradition, " He who is rejoiced to read the Kuran freshly, as it was revealed, let him read it according to the reading of Ibu Umm A'bd." (Ahmad.) 9. The tradition that he said to the Apostle of God, " teach me a prayer, which I may say in my prayers,"—he replied, " O God I have

• See page 71—the word Ui should be inserted hetween S and iiSi to make it identical with Omar's words in the tradition quoted, though neither the MS. nor printed text have it. . t Here follows a list of those who have related traditions on his authority, which I see no profit in transcribing. [ «9 ] wronged my own soul with a great wronging, and none but Thou forgiveth sins, therefore pardon me in Thy clemency, and have mercy on me, for Thou art the Clement and the Merciful. (Al Bukhari and Muslim.)

10. The tradition. " He who prayeth in the morning, is under the protection of God, therefore seek ye not to violate the promise of God, and he who slayeth him. who doth so^ God will summon him and prostrate him upon his face in hell fire." (Ibn Majah.)* 11. The tradition. " No prophet ever died, until one among his people had stood before him as Imam in prayer." (Al Bazzar.) 12. The tradition. " No man committeth a sin, and then performeth his ablution so /that it be valid, and then prayeth with two bowings of the head and body, and asketh pardon of God, but He forgiveth him." (Ahmad and the authors of the Four Sunans, and Ibn Hahan.) 13. The tradition. " God hath never taken from life a prophet save in the place wherein he desireth to be buried." (At Tirmidi.)

14. The tradition. " God curse the Jews and the Christians—^take ye the sepulchres of their prophets as mosques." (Abu Ta'la.)

15. The tradition. " Verily a dead bodyf is sprinkled with hot water by reason of the lamentations of the living." (Abu Ya'la.)

16. The tradition. " Beware of hell fire, though it be but for half a date, for verily it maketh straight the crooked, and preventeth a wicked death, and efEecteth for the hungry what it doth for him who is full." 17. The tradition, " The obligation of alms-deeds—in full." (Al Bukhari and others.)

] 8. TJie tradition from Ibn Abi Mulaykah, who said—" Often times the bridle would fall from the hand of Abu Bakr and he would strike the foreleg of his camel and make it kneel down,"—they said to him " why didst thou not command us^to give it to thee." He replied, " my friend the Apostle of God commanded me to ask nothing of men." (Ahmad.) 19. The tradition. " The Apostle of God commanded Asma the daughter of U'mays when she brought forth Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr, to bathe herself and invoke the name of God."

* Albu A'tdu'Ilali Muhammad-b-Tazid-'b-Majah al Kazwini a celebrated Hafidh ia the author of a -work in tradition entitled Kitab us Sunan. He is the author of a conunentary on the ^iiran and a history of Kazwin. Hia hook on tradition is counted one of the six Sahihs (authentic collections) ; horn A. H. 209 (82i-5) died A. H. 273 (887). Ihn Khali. living t That ia, punished for the profitless lamentations of the : another tradition " verily the dead will he punished for his family's weeping for him. o»a*J says, ( | ul AJLc aIaj *ISjj uiiju) the reason of which Lane thinks to be, that the Arabs used to charge their families to weep and wail for them, and the dead are obnoxious to punishment for having done this. 12 [ 90 ]

20. The tradition. The Apostle of God was asked " which are the most excellent actions of the pilgrimage ?" He replied, " the raising of the voice in the ' talbiyat,' and the shedding of the blood of the victims Iroughtfor sacrifice." (At Tirmidi and Ibn Majah.) 21. The tradition.—That he kissed the Blach Stone and said, " were it not that I have, seen the Apostle of God kiss thee, I would not have kissed thee (Ad Ddrakutni). 22. The tradition that the Apostle of God sent to the people of Mecca an ordinance that no idolater should make the pilgrimage after that year, and that no one should make the circuit of the Kaaha naked, &c. (Ahmad.)

23. The tradition. " Between my dwelling and my pulpit is a garden of the gardens of paradise, and my pulpit is upon a fountain of the fountains of* paradise." (Abu Ya'la.) 24. The tradition of Muhammad's going to the house of Abu Haytham-b-u'l Tayyihan, in full. (Abu Ya'la.) 25. The tradition " Gold with gold, like with like, silver with silver, like with like, but who giveth or asketh over and above shall be in hell fire." (A'bu Ya'la and al Bazzar.) 26. The tradition. " Cursed be he who doeth injury to a true believer or defraudeth him." (At Tirmidi.) 27. The tradition, " The avaricious man shall not enter paradise, nor the deceiver, nor the betrayer, nor he who ruleth evilly, and the first that shall enter paradise is the servant who is obedient to God and obedient to his master." (Ahmad.) 28. The tradition. He who freeth a slave, inherits of him. (Al Dhiaf al Mukaddasi in the Mukhtirah.) " 29. The tradition. WeJ are not inherited of ; that which we leave is the portion, of the poor." (Al Bukhari.)

30. The tradition. "Verily when the Lord ansigneth a means of

subsistence to a prophet, and afterwards taketh his life, He continueth it unto him who cometh after him." (Abu DauM.) 31. The tradition. " Evading family descent, though in a trifling degree, is impiety towards God." (Al Bazzdr.)

* The text here has icu for &«,J erroneously. Tlie MS. has the correct reading.

For variations of this tradition, see Burton's Pilgrimage, Vol. II, p. 6S.

t Hafidh DMA u'ddi'n Muhammad-b-Abdi'l "Wdhid al Mukaddasi al Hanbali, died 643 A. H. (124S) The Mukhtdrah (chosen) is a work on tradition. Kashf u'd Dhuntin. t See page 74. )

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32. The traiiiion. " Thou and thy goods belong to thy father." Abu Bakr said, " he meant by that only what regards necessary mainte^ nance." (Al Bayhaki.) 33. The tradition. " He whose feet become dusty in the service of

God, God will preserve them from hell fire.'' (Al Bazzar.) Si. The tradition. " I was commanded to war with men." (The two Shaykhs and others.) 35. The tradition. " An excellent servant of God and a brother to his kindred is Khalid-b-u'l Walid, and a Sword of the Swords of God which He hath drawn against the infidels and hypocrites." (Ahmad.) 36. The tradition. " The sun hath never risen upon a better man than Omar." (At Tirmidi.) 37. The tradition. " He who hath swayed authority over the Mus- lims and hath appointed over them a governor out of favour, upon him shall be the curse of God—the Lord shall not accept from him either artifice or ransom until He maketh him to enter hell, and he who giveth to any one what is reserved for the Lord, verily violateth unlawfully what is reserved to God, upon him, therefore, shall be the curse of God." 38. The tradition—the story of Mai'z* and his stoning. (Ahmad.) 39. The tradition. " He doeth not amiss who asketh pardon thought he return to Ms fault seventy times a day." (At Tirmidi.) 40. The tradition that Muhammad held a council of war. (At Tabarani.) il. The tradition when there was revealed " whoso doeth evil shall be requited for it" etcetera. (Kur. IV)—(At Tirmidi, Ibn Haban and others,)

42. The tradition. " Verily ye read this verse ' Q true believers, take care of your souls' " &c., (Kur. V.) (Ahmad and the authors of the Four Sunans,t and Ibn Haban.) 43. The tradition. " What is thy opinion of two people, of whom God maketh the third ?" (The two Shaykhs. 44. The tradition. " God let us not die by spear-thrusts or pestilence." ' (Abu Ya'la.) 45. The tradition. " The Siira of Hud hath made me grey," &c. Ad Darakutni in the Hal (Defects impairing the validity; of traditions.) 46. The tradition, " Infidelity moves more stealthily among my people than the creeping of an ant,'' &e. (Abu Ya'la and others.)

* Mai'z-b Malik al Aslami, one of the Compaaiions was stoned on account of adultery. t The first four of the six 6rreat Masters of Tradition, i. e., al Bukhari, Muslim. Abu Daadd and at Tirmidi. [ 92 ]

47. The tradition, " I said, O Apostle of God, instruct me in something that I should say in the morning time and 'in the evening" &c. (Al Haytham b-Kulayb in his Musnad, and also at Tirmidi and others from the ascription of Abu Hurayrah.) 48. The tradition. " Be careful to say, ' there is no God but God,' and to ask pardon of Him, for Satan bath said ' I destroy men by sin, and they destroy me by saying there is no God but God, and the asking of pardon, and when I see that, I destroy them through their passions for they think themselves to be rightly guided-" (Abu Ya'la.) " 49. The tradition when there was revealed ; lift not up your yoices above the voice of the prophet"* I said " O Apostle of God, I will not address thee save in the voice of one who is decrepid." (As Sirar),

al Bazzar. 50. The tradition. " Every one obtains that which is created for him." (Ahmad.) 51. The tradition. " He who lieth towards me of set purpose or refuseth a thing that I have commanded, shall surely dwell in a chamber

of hell." (Abu Y.a'la.)

52. The tradition. " There is no escape from this thing" &c., is in

that o/"" there is no God but God " (Ahmad and others.) 53. The tradition. " Go forth and call out to the people, ' He who confesseth that 'there is no God but God,' shall assuredly possess Para-

dise ;' and I went forth and Omar met me &c." (Abu Ya'la, and this is preserved from the tradition of Abu Hurayrah—^recorded by only one authority from the tradition of Abu Bakr.) 54. The tradition. " There are two classes of my people that shall not enter paradise—the Murgiansf and the Kadarians." (Al Darakutni in the Hal Defeats invalidating traditions.) 55. The tradition. " Ask safety of God." (Ahmad, Nasai and Ibn

Majah who gives many ascriptions of it.)

* Km. XLIX. This verse is said to have 'been occasioned by a dispute between Abu Bakr and Omar concerning the appointment of a governor of a certain place in which they raised their voices so high in Muhammad's presence, that it was thought necessary to forbid it for the future. Sale. t These teach that the judgment of every Muslim guilty of grievous sin will be deferred till the rosurreotion, for which reason they pass no sentence on him in this world either of absolution or condemnation. They also hold that disobedience with faith hurteth not, and obedience with iofldelity profiteth not. This sect is subdivided into four species. For the origin of the name and their further doctrines, consult Sale, p. 123. Preliminary discourse. The Kadarians deny absolute predestination, the Muatazalites are by some comprehended under this denomination. See Sale p. 115. )

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56. Tlie tradition. When the Apostle of God desired anything, he would say, " God, take for me, choose for me." (At Tirreidi.)

57. The tradition,. " The prayer of submission is, ' God wTio art the dispeller of grief " &c. (Al Bazzdr and al Hakim.)

58. The tradition. " Every body that is nourished with forbidden things, hell fire is its proper portion"—and in another reading "there shall not enter Paradise a body that hath been fed on what is forbidden to it." (Abu Ya'la.)

59. The tradition. " There is no part of the body that complaineth not of the sharpness of the tongue." (Abu Ya'la.) 60. The tradition. " The Lord descehdeth on the night in the middle of the month of Shaa'ban, and in it pardoneth every mortal except an infidel, and the man in whose heart is hatred." (Al Darakutni.) 61. The tradition. " Verily Bajjal shall come forth from the East from a land called Khurasan, and there shall follow him peoples whose faces are like two-fold shields." (At Tirmidi and Ibn Majah.) 62. The tradition: " I have been given seventy thousand who shall enter Paradise without judgment being taken of them," &o. (Ahmad.) 63. The tradition of Intercessioij—in full—concerning the running to and fro of people from prophet to prophet.* (Aljmad.) 64. The tradition. "Were the people to march in one valley and the Auxiliaries marched in another' valley, I would march in the valley of the Auxiliaries." (Ahmad.) 65. The tradition. " The Kuraysh are the masters of this authority, the good among them will follow the good among them, and the wicked among them will follow the wicked among them." (Ahmad.) 66. The tradition that Muhammad, gave a charge regarding the Auxiliaries at the time of his death, and said, " receive those of them that do good, and pardon those of them that do evil. (Al Bazzar and at Tabarani.) 67. The tradition. " I know a land called TJ'man whose shores the sea washes—in it there is a tribe of Arabs. Were my messenger to go among them, they would not assail him with arrows or with stones." (Ahmad and Abu Ya'la. 68. The tradition that Abu Bakr passed by al Hasan who was playing with some boys and lifted him on to his neck, and said, " by my father, he hath a likeness to the prophet, and hath no likeness to A'li." (Al Bukhari.) Ibn Kathir says, " this comes under the class of uninter-

* The belief being that on the Day of Judgment, people will run from prophet to prophet praying for their interceesion. [ 94 ]

rupted ascriptions, as it is a confirmation of his remark that the Apostle of God resembled al Hasan." 69. The tradition that the prophet used to visit TJmm Ayman. (Muslim.) 70. The tradition. " The thief must be put to death for the fifth theft".* (Abu Ta'la and ad Daylami.) 71. The tradition, of the narrative of Ohud (at Tayalisi and at Tabardni.) 72. The tradition. " While I was with the apostle of God, behold I saw him driving away something from himself, and I did not see what ?' thing it was. I said, ' apostle of God, what is it thou art driving away

He replied ' the world wearied me and I said " away with thee," and it

" ?" ' " said to me, what ! wilt thou not have me (Al Bazzar.) Thus much has Ibn Kathir recorded in the ascriptions of as Siddik,

(if those traditions traced uninterruptedly to the prophet, but he has omitted others which I follow up to complete the number mentioned by an NawawLt 73. The tradition. " Kill a tike wherever you may find it among- men." (At Tabarani in the Ausat.)

74. T7ie tradition. " Eeflect whose are the houses ye dwell in 1 !" whose the land ye inhabit ! and in the path of whom do ye walk (Ad Daylami.) 75. The tradition. " Be frequent in your prayers over me, for the Lord hath stationed an angel above my grave, and when a man of my

people prayeth, the angel sayeth to me, ' verily such a one the son of such a one hath this moment prayed for thee.' " (Ad Daylami.)

76. The tradition. The Friday prayer is an atonement for all that

occurreth until the next Friday prayer, and ablution on a Friday is an atonement, &c. (Al U'kayli in the Dhua'fa {weak authorities). 77. The tradition. " Verily the heat of hell to my people shall be a& that of a hot bath." (At Tabarani.) 78. The tradition. " Beware of lying, for lying is an estrangement from the faith." (Ibn Lai in the Makarim u'l Akhlak (noble qualities). 79. The tradition. " To every one who hath fought at Badr, is announced the tidings of Paradise." (Ad DArakutni in the " Afrad" Traditions recorded but by one authority.)

* According to the law, the thief loses his left hand for the first offence, his right foot for the second, Ms right hand for the third and his left foot for the fourth. The ingenuity that could contrive a fifth theft under these disadvantages would seom to deserve commendation rather than death. t An Nawawi mentions one hundred and forty-two, and- as Suydti gives but one hundred and four. I am grateful for the omission. —

[ 95 ]

" 80. The tradition. Eeligion is the weighty banner of God ; who is able to sustain it ?" (Ad Daylami.)

81. The tradition. The Sura Y. S* is called the " Commonalty" (the throat), &c., (ad Daylami and al Bayhaki in the Shaa'b u'l Imin—people of the Faith.)

82. The tradition. " A monarch just and humble, is the shadow of God and His spear upon earth, and every night and day shall be placed to

his account the good works of sixty just men." (Abu'l Shaykh al U'kayli in the Dhua'fa and Ibn Haban in the " Kitab u't Thawab" Beoord of recompense.)

83. The tradition. " Moses said to his Lord ' What is the reward

for one who consoleth the bereaved mother ?' He replied ' God will cover him with His shadow.' " (Ibn Shahinin the "Targhib." (Incentive) and ad Daylami.) " 84. The tradition. God ! strengthen Islam in Omar b-u'l Khat- tab." (At Tabarani in the Ausat.)

85. The tradition. " No game is ever pursued, nor a thorny tree lopped, nor the root of a tree cut, but by reason of their infrequency in praising God." (Ibn Eahwayhf in his Musnad.) 86. The tradition. " Had I not been sent unto you, Omar would surely have been sent" &c. (Ad Daylami.) 87. The tradition. " Were the inhabitants of Paradise to trade, they would trade in stuffs. "J 88. The tradition. " He who rebelleth claiming either for himself or for another, while an Imam ruleth the people, upon him is the curse of God, and the angels and the whole people,—therefore slay him." (Ad Daylami in the History of Samadan ?) 89. The tradition. " He who reeordeth on my authority a doctrine or a tradition, the reward thereof shall not cease to be placed to his account

* is The meaning of these letters unknown ; acme pretend that they stand for Ya insan (0 man). This chapter is said to hare several other titles given to it by Mu- hammad himself, and particularly that of the heart of the Imuran. It is read to persons in their dying- agony. Sale. + Abu Takub Ishak, a native of Marw, as Shahjan was equally distinguished for his knowledge of law and tradition as for his piety. Ibn Hanbal considered him an.

Im£m among the Muslims and an eminent jurisconsult. His Musnad is well-known.

He was bom A. H. 161 (A. I). 777-8) and died at Naysabiir A. H. 238 (853). ' Rah- wayh, says Ibn Khallakdn was a name given to his father, because he was bom on the road to Mecca (rah in Persian signifying road and wayh found.) This word is also pronounced Edhuya. Ibn Khallakan's philology is not always safe to follow. J Abu Bakr, Othman, fall^^h A'bdur Ea^iman-b-A'uf were all cloth-merchants.

Ibn Kutayb. i [ 96 ]

while that doctrine or tradition continueth." (Al Hakim in the History of the doctors of Naysahur.") 90. TTie tradition. " He who walketh barefoot in the service of God, God will not ask of him on the Day of Judgment regarding what was obligatory upon him." (At Tabarani in the Ausat.) 91. The tradition. " Whoso would be glad that God should protect him from the heat of hell and bring him under His own shadow, let him not be harsh with the true believers, but merciful unto them." (Ibn Lai in the Makdrim u'l Akhlak and Abu'l Shaykh and Ibn Haban in the " Thawab" Mecompense.) 92. The tradition. " He who riseth in the morning purposing to worship God, God will write down to him the recompense of his day, even though he sinneth against Him." (AdDaylami.) 93. The tradition. " No people hath abstained from warring in the cause of the Lord, but He hath included them in one common punishment." (At Tabarani in the Ausat.) 94. The tradition. "A slanderer shall not enter Paradise." (Ad Daylami but without ascription.) 95. The tradition. " Despise not any of the Muslims, for the meanest of the Muslims is great before God." (Ad Daylami.)

96. The tradition. God says " if ye desire my mercy, be merciful unto my people." (Abu'l Shaykh, Ibn Haban and ad Daylami.) 97. The tradition. " I asked of the apostle of God regarding the nether garment, and he touched the muscle of his leg, and I said ' apostle of God increase the length for me ;' then he touched the lower part of the muscle, and I said ' increase the length for me,' he replied, ' it would not be good to have it lower.' I said, ' O apostle of God we are undone :' he answered, ' O Abu Bakr, be guided aright, and take the middle course, thou wilt be safe.' " (Abu Nua'ym in the Huliyah.) 98. The tradition. "My palm and the palm of A'li are exactly equal." (Ad Daylami and Ibn A'sdkir.)

99. X%e tradition. " Neglect not to invoke God against Satan, for if ye do not regard him, he is not heedless of ye." (Ad Daylami but without ascription.)

100. The tradition. " He who buildeth a temple unto God, God will build for him a mansion in Paradise." (At Tabardhi in the Ausat.) 101. The tradition. " He who hath eaten of this unclean* herb, let him not approach our temple." (At Tabardni in the Ausat.) 102. The tradition of the lifting up of the hands in the beginning of

* Garlic. In two traditions given in the Kitdb u'l IktifA, onions are included in this prohibition. These will be found in the life of Omar in that work. — — —

[ 97 J

prayer, in the bowing of the head, and in prostration.* (Al Bayhaki in the Sunan.) 103. The tradition. " Give a Camel to Abu Jahl."t (Al Isma'ili in the Mua'jam alphabetical Dictionary of the Traditionists.) 104. The tradition. " Looking upon A'U is worship." (Ibn A'sakir.)

On what hath ieen handed down of as Siddik in comment on the Kurdn.

Abu'l Kasim al Baghawi records on the authority of Ibn Mulaykah that Abu Bakr was asked regarding a verse of the Kuran and he said, " what earth would sustain me and what sky would overshadow me, were I to speak that concerning the book of God which God hath not intended."

And Abn TJ'baydah . from Ibrahim at Taymi, that Abu Bakr was asked regarding the saying of the Most High, " grapes and clover" (Kur. LXXX) and he said, " what sky would overshadow me and what earth would sustain me, did I speak regarding the book of God that which 1 know not." And al BayBaki and others from Abu Bakr that he was asked regarding the meaning of " al Kalalah,"J and he answered " I will presently give an opinion regarding it and if it be just, it is from God, but if it be faulty it Cometh from me and from the Evil One. I think it to mean lacking parent and offspring ;" and when Omar became CaKph, he said, " verily, I forbear from setting aside a thing that Abu Bakr hath spoken." Abu Nua'ym records in his Huliyah from al Aswad-b-Hilal, that Abu Bakr said to the Companions, " What say ye concerning these two verses, ' As for—those who say our Lord is God and who behave uprightly' (Kur. •XLI) ' and they who believe and clothe not their faith with injustice'

(Kur. VI). They replied, ' and who behave uprightly,' that is, ^ho diO not sin and do not clothe their faith with sin." He replied, " ye have placed upon it a meaning which it will not bear ;" then he said, " Who say

our Lord is God and who behave uprightly" that is, " who do not incline

* In the beginning of prayers, lifting up the hands is the universal practice, the Shafi"i school alone adopting it in the howings and prostrations. t The uncle of Muhammad. — % Kur. IV. AJ^lwi translated by Sale " a distant relation.'' Zamalcshari in his great Commentary gives it three meanings :

1. One who has neither son nor father aUve.

2. One who has neither father living nor any issue.

3. One who has no living relative in the direct paternal line, nor through his own children. 13 :

to a God other than Him, and who do not clothe their faith with infidelity as by associating others with Him." And Ibn Jarir from Abu Bakr " right shall Siddik, regarding the saying of the Most High, They who do X), receive a most excellent reward and a superabundant addition" (Kur. and re- that he said it signified the looking upon the face of the Lord ; " garding the words of the Most High, Those who say our Lord is God and who behave uprightly," that he said, " Verily the people say this, but he who dieth according to iYas precept, he it is who behaveth uprightly."

On what has leen handed of estallished traditions from as Siddik on the subject of his words, decisions, discourses and prayers.

Al Lalakai* records in his Sunnat on the authority of Ibn Omar that " fornication in a man went to Abu Bakr and said, dost thou think that a he said, "if God man is predestined?" He answered, "Tes." Then hath predestined it concerning me, will He punish me for it ?" He replied " yes, thou son of an uncircumcised woman, and by Allah, were a man by me, I would command him to bring thee to reason." And Abu Dauu'd in his Sunan from Abu Abdu'llah as Sunabihi.t that he once prayed behind Abii Bakr at evening prayers, and Abu Bakr read during the first two bowings of the head, the first chapter of the Kuran and a Sura of the shorter sections,^ and he read in the third bowing, " O Lord, cause not our hearts to swerve from truth after thou hast directed us" (Kur III.) And Ibn Abi Khaythamah and Ibn A'sakir from Ibn U'aynah, that when Abu Bakr was engaged in condoling with a man he used to say, " there is no

harm in patience and no profit in lamentation : death is easier to bear than

that which precedeth it, and more severe than that which cometh after it remember the death of the apostle of God, your sorrow will be lessened and may God increase your reward." And Ibn Abi Shaybah and ad Darakutni from SAlim-b-U'bayd§ who was a Companion, that he said, " Abu Bakr

* Atu'l KAsim Hibatu'Uah-t-5asan-'b-Mausur ar Eazi.

t Abu A'bdiillali A'bdiir Rahman-b-Aaalat as Sunabijji, the latter is a branch of Banu Mur4d.

i The Mufassal is that portion of the Kuran from the XLIXth Chapter to the end, according to the moat correct opinion and so called because of the many divisions between its chapters.

§ Abu A'bdu'llah Salim-b-"D'bayd-b-Eabii'h, the freedman of Abu Hudayfeh the Companion. Abu Nua'ym denies this pedigree, and others assert him to be the son of Ma'kal. He was of Persian origin, one of the most eminent of the Companions and

Auxiliaries. Omar thought so highly of him, that at hia death he is reported to have [ 99 ]

used to say to me, ' Stand between aie and the dawn that I may eat my morning meal.'* And from Abu Kilabab and Abd's Safar that they said, ' Abu Bakr as Siddik used to say, " shut the door that we may eat our morning meal." ' And al Bayhaki and Abu Batr-b-Ziyad of Naysabur, in

the Kafcab u'l Ziyaddt from Hudayfahf-b-Usayd, that he said, ' verily I observed Abu Bakr and Omar and what they did in the early part of the forenoon, with the intention that the example of those two might be followed.' And Abu Dauud from Ibn A'bbds that he said, 'I testify that Abu Bakr as Siddik said, "eat of fishes those only

that swim." ' And as Shafi'iJ in the Aa'm (Universal) from Abu Bakr as Siddik, that he was averse to the sale of flesh in exchange for a live animal. And al Bukhari, that he placed the grandfather in the same

degree as the father, that is, in regard to inheriting. And Ibn Abi Shaybah

in his Musannaf, from Abu Bakr, that he said, ' a grandfabher stands in the place of the father, if there be no father but he, and the grand-

son in place of the son, if there be no other than he.' And from al Kasim, that a man was brought before Abu Bakr, who had been dis-

owned by his father, and Abu Bakr said ' smite him on the head for Satan is in his head.' And from Ibn Abi Malik, that once when Abu

' Bakr prayed over a dead man, he said, God ! his people, and his goods and his kindred have forsaken this Thy servant, and his sin was grievous " but Thou art merciful and compassionate.' Sa'id-b-Mansur records in his Sunan on the authority of Omar, that Abu Bakr decided the case of A'asim,§ the son of Omar-b-u'l Khattab in favour of the mother of A'a^'im, saying, " her breath and fragrance and kindness are better for thee (A'asim) than thine (Omar)." And al Bayhaki from ^ays-b-Abi Hazim, that a man went to Abu Bakr

said that had Salim heen alive, he would not have named a Council of Consultation to elect for the Caliphate. Salim fought at Badr and Ohud and the hattle of the Ditch and was killed at Yamamah where he carried the standard of the Muslims embracing it with the stamps of his arms after his hands had been hewn off. An Nawawi. * After the rise of the true dawn (jiUaJi^^' the day begins, and everything by which fasting would be broken, becomes unlawful to him who fasta. t Hudayfah-b-Usayd one of the Companions—present at Hu^aybyah and was one of those who swore to bo faithful to Muhammad when he was seated under the lote tree. According to Ibn Haban, he died A. H. 42. Ibn Hajr. X Bom A. H. 150 (707—8), died A. H. 204 (820) and buried in the leaser Karafah cemeteiy at old Cairo near Mount Mukattam. His life and teaching are well enough, known to dispense with an account of them here. Consult Ibn KhaUakan.

§ A'asim was then a child, and Omar having a quarrel with the mother, wished to remove the Ipoy from her control, but Abu Bakr decided against it. The boy became- the grandfather of Omar-b-Abdi'l A'ziz the Caliph. [ 100 1 and- said, "my father desireth to take my property, saying, that he is in need of the whole of it," and Abu Bakr said to his father, " Surely that only of his property is thine which is sufficient for thy sustenance ;" he answered, " O Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, did not !' the Apostle of God say, ' thou and thy goods belong to thy father He replied, ' Yes, but he meant by that only necessary maintenance.' And Ahmad from the grandfather of A'mr-b-Shu'ayb,* that Abu Bakr used not to kill a freedman in retaliation for a slave. And al Bukhari from the grandfather of Ibn Abi Mulaykah, that a man had bitten the hand of another who in return knocked out his teeth, and Abu Bakr suffered it to pass with impunity. And Ibn Abi Shaybah and al Bayhaki from A'krimahf that Abu Bakr adjudged the loss of a. ear to he repaid by fifteen camels and said, ' the hair and turban will conceal the disgrace of it.' And al Bayhaki and others from Abu Imam al Juni, that Abu Bakr sent troops to Syria arid appointed over them Yazid-b-Abi Sufyan and said, " I commend to thee ten precepts. Slay not a woman nor a child, nor an aged man, and cut not down a tree that beareth fruit, and lay not waste a cultivated country, and destroy not a sheep, nor a camel, save for food, and lop not a date tree nor burn it, and conceal not plunder and be " not faint of heart." ' Ahmad, and Abu Dauud and an Nasai record on the authority of Abu Barzah al Aslami, that he said, " Abu Bakr was enraged with a man and his anger became violent, and I said, to him, ' O Yicegerent of the Apostle of God shall I cut off his head ?' He replied, ' woe unto thee—that is not lawful for any one after the Apostle of God.' And Sayf in the Kitab u'l Futiih, (Beoord of Conquests) on the authority of his Shaykhs, that two female singers were brought before Muhajir Ibn Abi (Jmayyah who was ruler of Yamamah, one of whom had sung in contumely of the prophet, and he cut off her hand and pulled out her teeth ; the other had sung deriding the Muslims, and he cut off her hand and pulled out her teeth • and Abu Bakr wrote to him, saying, ' I have heard what thou hast done to the woman who sang in contumely of the prophet, and if thou hadst not been beforehand with me in it, I would have ordered thee to put her to death, for punishment in regard to the prophets is not as other punish- ments—he among the Muslims, therefore, who doeth such a thing is an

* Abu Itrahim A'mr-b-Shua'yb-b-Muhaimnad-lj.A'tdi'Uah of the l^uraysh, in point of time next to the Tabi'ia. A great many distinguished Traditionists relate on his authority and his reputation is high amongst them for aoouraoy. An Nawawi. t There are two of this name, one the sou of Abu Jahl, and the other the freedman of Ibn A'bbas, one of the moat distinguished of tho Tabi'is the accuracy of whose traditions is much praised by al Bukhari, he died A. H. 104. An Nawawi, [ 101 ]

apostate, or being a tributary subject, is a treacherous enemy : but she who sang deriding the Muslims, were she among those who profess Islam then correction and deprivation of suisiance without mutilation would have been sufficient, but were she a tributary subject, then by my life, if I forgave her infidelity, it would be a great mercy, and had I been beforehand with thee in the like of this, I would assuredly have afflicted her sorely, but rather choose thou clemency, and beware thou of mutilating men, for it " is a sin and a thing to be avoided save in retaliation.' Malik and ad Ddrakutni record on the authority of Safiyah, the daughter of Abu U'bayd, that a man seduced a slave girl, a virgin, and confessed to it, and Abu Bakr passed order on him, and he was scourged and banished to Fadak.* And Abu Ya'la from Muhammad-b-Hatib that a man was brought before Abu Bakr who had committed theft, and his feet and hands had been cut ofE and Abu Bakr said to him, " I do not find that anything can he done to thee save what hath been adjudged regarding thee by the Apostle of God, on the day that he commanded thy death,f for verily he had knowledge of thee," and he ordered him to be put to death. And Malik from al Kasim-b- Muhammad, that a man of the people of Yaman, whose hand and foot had b'een cut off for theft came and abode with Abu Bakr and complained to him that the governor of Yaman had treated him unjustly (and the man used to pray during the night), and Abu Bakr said, " by thy father, thy night is not like unto the night of a thief." After a little time they lost an ornament belonging to Asma, daughter of Umays, the wife of Abu Bakr, and the man went round with them searching and say- " ing, God ! with thee he retribution upon him who hath plundered by night the people of this just house." Afterwards, they found the ornament with a goldsmith who afiirmed that the mutilated man had brought it to him. Then the mutilated man either confessed or it was proved against him, and Abu Bakr passed an order upon and . him his left hand was amputated, and Abu Bakr said, " By Allah, his impre- cation upon himself was, to me, more grievous for him than his theft." And ad Darakutai from Anas that Abu Bakr ordered amputation for the theft of a, shield, the value of which was five dirhams. And Abu Nua'ym in his Huliyah, on the authority of Abu Salih that when the people of

Yaman came J in the time of Abu Bakr and heard the Kuran, they began to weep, and Abu Bakr said " Thus were— we, and afterwards our hearts became hardened." Abu Nua'ym adds " that is, strengthened, and tranquil

* A village in Hijaz two days journey from Medina, t See page 94, note. X That is, when Abu Bakr meditated the conquest of Syria and sent letters to the chiefs of Arabia Telis summoning them with their followers. [ 103 ]

with the knowledge of the Most High." And al Bukhaid from Ibn Omar that Abu Bakr said, " behold, Muhammad in the people of his House." And Abu U'bayd* in the Gharib from Abu Bakr that he said, " happy was he who died remaining in his abode," that is, in the beginning of Islam before the breaking out of sedition. The Four Traditionists and Malik record on the authority of Kabisahf that a grandmother went to Abu Bakr as Siddik inquiring of him regarding her inheritance and he said, "nothing is due to thee according to the book of God, and I know of nothing for thee in the traditions of the prophet of God, therefore come back another time, so that I may inquire of the people, and he inquired of the people and al MughirahJ-b-Shu'bah said " I was present when he gave such as her one sixth ;" and Abu Bakr said, "was any other with thee ?" whereupon Muhammad-b-Maslamah arose and said the same that al Mughirah had spoken, and Abu Bakr ordered the Wee for her. And Malik and Darakutni, from al Kasim-b-Muhammad, that two grandmothers went to Abu Bakr demanding their inheritance, the mother of a mother and the mother of a father and he accorded the inheritance to the mother of the mother. Thereupon A'bdur Bahman-b-Sahl the Auxiliary who had fought at Badr, and was an associate of the Banu Harith said to him, " O vicegerent of the apostle of God dost thou bestow it upon her who, if she died, would not be inherited of ?"§ so he divided it between the two. And Abdur Eazzak in his Musannaf records on the authority of Ayesha, the tradition of the wife of Eufaa'h who was divorced from him and married afterwards A'bdur Rahman-b-u'z Zubayr who was unable to consummate his marriage, and she desired to return to Rufaa'h, but the Apostle of God said, " No, not tiU your marriage be consummated ;"

* Abu U'bayd al Kasim-b-Saliam, was bom at Herat and was Kadhi of Tarsus for eigbteen years. He was conspicuous for bis piety and learning in various branches of literature, and his traditions are received as authentic. He died at Mecca in A, H. 224 according to al BukbSri. The book alluded to in the text is Gharib u'l Hadith (obscure expressions occurring in the Traditions). He also wrote a work called " Gharib u'l Musannaf, (original collection of rare expressions.) Ibn Khali. t Kabi?ab-b-Puayb one of the Tdbi'is, born in the year of the conquest of Mecca and died in the Caliphate of A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwan under whom he acted in the capacity of Secretary. An Nawawi. I Abu A'bdu'Uah-b-Shu'bah of the tribe of Thakif a native of Kufah, one of the Companions. He was present at nearly all the expeditions and actions that took place iu his time. Omar gave him the government of Ba?rah and afterwards of Ivufah wherein he was confirmed by Otbman and subsequently deposed, but again re-instated by Mu'awiyah. and died at Kufah A. H. 60. It is said that he married three hundred women, and some say, a thousand. An Nawawi.

§ According to the Muljammadan law a grandson does not inherit from his maternal grandmother. ' —

[ 103 ] this much is in the Sahih, and A'hdu'r Eazzak adds, " then she tarried some time and then went to him and informed him that he had touched her, but he forbade her to return to her first husband and said, ' verily if it were thus with her that she returned to Eufaa'h, her marriage would not be consummated for the second time :"* then she went to Abu Bakr and Omar during their Caliphate but they prohibited her. And al Bay- haki from TJ'kbah-b-A'amirt that A'mr-b-u'l A'as and Shurahbil-b-Hasa- nahj sent him as a messenger to Abu Bakr with the head of Bannan the Syrian general, and when he came to Abu Bakr, he expressed his disap- proval, and U'kbah said to him, ' O Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, they do the same with us,' and he replied, ' do those two follow the example of the Persians and Greeks ? let no head be brought to me for verily letters and news are sufficient.' And al Biukhari from Kays-Ibn- Hazim,§ that Abu Bakr went to a woman of the tribe of Ahmas called

Zaynab, and he observed that she did not speak, and he said, ' why doth

she not speak ?' They replied, ' she has made the pilgrimage and is under

' a vow of silence.' He said to her, speak ! for this is not lawful, this is one of the practices of the time of Ignorance :' and she spoke and said

' who art thou?' and he said 'One of the Fugitives;' she said, 'which of

?' ' the Fugitives he replied, of the Kuraysh.' She asked, ' of what family

of the Kuraysh ?' He said, ' verily thou art very inquisitive—I am Abu Bakr.' She said, ' How long shall be our continuance in this holy rule

which God hath brought since the time of Ignorance ?' He replied, ' your

continuance in it shall be as long as your Imams act uprightly.' She ^id, 'and what are the Imams?' He answered 'Are there not in thy tribe, chiefs and leaders who govern them and whom the tribe obey?' She

said, ' yes'. He replied, ' then they are those men.' And from Ayesha, that Abu Bakr had a slave who used to pay him an impost on his earnings and Abu Bakr used to eat of the fruits .of this impost, and he one day brought him a thing, of which Abu Bakr eat, and the slave said to him, ' dost thon

* The Muhammadan law insists on tlie consummation of the marriage with the second husband, hefore the first can receive the divorced wife hack. t One of the Companions, distinguished for his manner of reading the Kuran he governed Egypt for Mu4wiyah-b-Ahi Sufyan and died there in A. H. 58. He carried the news of the taking of Damascus to Omar and reached Medina in seven days and returned to Syria in two and a half through the help of his ravocationa at Muham- mad's tomb. An Nawawi. X He was appointed by Abu Bakr and subsequently by Omar to the command of the army in Syria, and continued as Omar's lieutenant in that country till his death of the plague A. H. 18, at the age of sixty-seven. Ibid.

§ One of the Tabiis. He was bom before the propagation of Islam and set out to pay his homage to Mu^iammad who, however, died before Kays arrived. He was a resident of Ktifah and died A. H. 81. Ibid. [ 104 ]

' ?' ' once told know what this is ?' Abu Bakr said, what is it he replied, I the fortune of a man in the time of Ignorance, and my divination was not just inasmuch as I deceived him, but he met me and gave me this, of which thou hast eaten ;' whereupon Abu Bakr put his hand in his throat and reiected everything that was in his stomach." Ahmad records in the " Zuhd" from Ibn Sirin that he said, " I do not know any one who sought to reject the food that he had eaten except Abu Bakr," and he related the story. And an Nasai from Aslam, that Omar beheld Abu Bakr who seized hold of his own tongue and said, " this it is that hath brought me to that to which I have come." And A'bu U'bayd ia the " Gharib," from Abu Bakr, that he passed by A'bdu'r Rahman-b-A'uf who was quarrelling with a neighbour and he said to him, " speak not in anger with thy neighboiir for that remaineth but men pass away from thee." And Ibn A'saldr from Musa-b-U'kbah, that Abu Bakr as Siddlk was once preaching, and he said, " Praise be to God—the Lord of created things I glorify Him and implore His assistance, and ask His mercy in what cometh a,fter death, for my hour and yours are approaching—and I bear witness that there is no God but God above who hath no copartner and that Mu- hammad is His servant, and His prophet, whom He hath sent in the Truth as a messenger of good tidings, and an admonisher and a shining light that he may warn the living and certify the Word to the unbelievers—and he who obeyeth God and his prophet, verily he hath followed the right way, and he who hath sinned against those two, verily hath erred with a manifest erring : I commend unto ye devotion to God, and adherence to the commands of God which He hath laid down for ye and, given for your guidance, for verily the whole of the precepts of Islam after the profession of faith, are the hearing and obeying those whom God hath appointed to rule over ye, and verily he who obeyeth God and those who enjoin goodness and prohibit what is unlawful hath prospered and hath performed what is incumbent upon him of his obligations ; and beware ye of following vain desire, for verily he prospereth who is preserved from lust and greed and anger : aTid beware ye of pride, for what pride belongeth to him who is made of earth, and who afterwards returneth to earth and then the worm devoureth him ? for to-day he is alive and to-morrow he is

dead ; therefore act ye uprightly from day to day and from hour to hour, and fear the prayer of the oppressed, and number yourselves among the dead ; and be ye patient for every work is accomplished through patience, and be ye watchful, for watchfulness is profitable. Act uprightly for a good act is acceptable to God, and refrain from the things against which the Lord hath warned ye under pain of His wrath : and vie ye with one another in hastening to obtain the things which the Lord bath promised ye

in His mercy ; and teach ye, and yourselves comprehend, and be heedful [ 105 ]

and in fear, for verily the Lord hath declared unto ye the things for which He hath destroyed those that were before ye, and the things through which He hath delivered those whom He delivered before ye. Verily He hath manifested unto ye in His Book His commands and His prohibitions and

the works He approveth, and those He abhorreth : and verily by my soul, I will not be wanting to you—and God is He whose assistance is implored, and there is no power nor strength but in the Lord. And know ye, verily, that in your works in which ye have been sincere with God, ye then obeyed God, and preserved your portion of excellence, and attained unto

your desire, and what ye have done over and above what is enjoined for your faith, keep before ye as religious merits, that ye may make satisfaction for those who have gone before ye,—and make your charitable donations even at the time of your poverty and self-need of them. Then bethink ye—O servants of God—of your brethren and your companions those that have departed, for they have attained to the works that they sent before them, and abide by them and are settled in misery or happiness in the state that cometh after death. Verily the Lord hath no copartner, and between Him and any of His creatures there is no mediatory influence that can bestow good upon him or avert from him evil save in His worship and obedience to His commands, for verily there is no good in the good after which cometh hell-fire, and no evil in the evil after which cometh heaven. I say unto ye these words, and may God have mercy upon me and ye, and bless ye the prophet and peace be upon Him and the mercy of God and His blessing." Al Hakim and al Bayhaki record on the authority of A'bdu'llah-b- TJ'kaym that he said, " Abu Bakr as Siddik preached to us and he glorified God and praised Him as befitted Him, and then said, ' I commend unto ye piety to God and that ye praise Him as befitteth Him, and that ye mingle desire with fear, for the Lord God praised Zachariah and the people of his house, and said, " These strove to excel in good works and called upon us with love and with fear and humbled themselves before us" (Kur. XXI.) There- fore, know, O servants of God, that the Lord hath your lives as a pledge for what is due to Him, and hath taken your compacts* regarding it, and hath purchased of ye a little that is perishable, in exchange for eternal of is among ye, whose light cannot abundance ; and this Book God be extinguished, nor its wonders end ; therefore seek ye illumination from

* " And wten thy Lord drew forth thy posterity from the loins of the sons of Adam, and took them to witness against themselves, saying, am I not your Lord ? They answered. Tea, we do bear witness, Kur. VII. The commentators say that God stroked Adam's hack and extracted from his loins his whole posterity and assembled them in the shape of ants, and after they had, in the presence of the angels, confessed their dependence on Him, they were returned to the loins of Adam. See Sale. 14 [ 106 ] its light, and accept counsel from His Book and seek light from it in the day of darkness, for verily He hath created ye for His worship and hath iippointed for ye gua/rdian angels " honourable in the sight of God writing down gotir actions who know that which ye do." (Kvpf. LXXXII). And know, O servants of God that ye proceed and draw nigh unto an appointed time, the knowledge of which, verily, is hidden from ye, therefore if ye are able so to do, that the appointed periods be fulfilled while ye are engaged in the works of the Lord, then so act ye, but this ye cannot do save with the permission of the Lord. Vie ye with one another in fulfilling the alligation of your appointed times before your appointed periods are completed, lest they cast ye upon the evillest of your works ; and, verily, there are some who have made over the obligations of their appointed times on others, and have taken no heed of themselves, therefore I forbid ye to be like unto them. Then haste ! haste ! flee ! flee ! for behind ye is a nimble pursuer—swift of deed.' And Ibn Ab'id Dunya, and Ahmad in the ' Zuhd' and Abu Nua'ym in the ' Huliyah' from Yahya-b-Abi Kathir, that Abu Bakr used to say in his discourse, 'where are the comely, beautiful of countenance—exulting in their youth? Where are the monarchs who built cities and entrenched them round about ? Where are they who gave victory on fields of battle ? verily their pillars were overthrown when Fortune betrayed them, and they went down into the darkness of the grave. Haste I

!' haste ! flee ! flee And Ahmad in the Zuhd from Salman,* that he said, ' I went to Abu Bakr and said, " leave me an injunction," and he replied, " Salman, fear God, and know that there shall shortly be victories, but I know not what may be thy portion among them, of what thou may mayest put into thy belly or cast upon thy back, but, know, that he who prayeth the five appointed times of prayer, verily he is under a covenant with God, and walketh under the protection of the Most High : therefore slay not any of the people of God's covenant, lest thou betray God in His covenant and the Lord throw thee prostrate on thy face in hell fire." And from Aba Bakr that he said, " the good shall be taken away, the best, followed by the next in merit, until there remain the dregs of the people, like the husk of dates and of barley—the Lord shall not take heed of them." And Sa'id-b-

Man?ur in the Sunan from Mu'dwiyah-b-Kurrah that Abu Bakr as Siddik • used to say in " his prayers, Lord ! render thou the best of my life its close, and the best of my deeds the last, and the best of my days the day of Thy meeting." And Ahmad in the Zuhd from al Hasan, " I heard that Abu Bakr used to say in his prayers, " God verily I ask of Thee that which may be the best for me in the end— God ! vouchsafe that the last good that Thou

* There are two Companions of the name, one the freedmaa of Muljammad, a native oi Persia by birth, and the other Salmdn-b-A'imir. Consult an Nawawi. —

[ 107 1

bestowest upon me, be Thy approbation, and the loftiest places in the gardens of delight." And from A'rfajah* that Abu Bakr said, " he who is able to

weep let him weep, or if not, let him endeavour to weep." And from Abu Bakr on the authority of A'rzah, " the most deadly of things are the two that are red—gold and safEron."t And on the authority of Muslim-b-Tas^r,J "the true believer is rewarded in everything, even in affliction—for, in the breaking of a shoe-latehet, or some trifle in his

sleeve, should he lose it, and be in fear for it, he will find it by his side." And on the authority of Maymlln-b-Mihran that a raven with large wings

was brought to Abu Bakr, and he turned it over and said, " no game is hunted and no tree is felled save it hath neglected the praises of God."

And al Bukhari in the " Adab," and A'bdu'Uah-b-Ahmad in the Zawaid u'z. Zuhd from as Sunabihi, that he heard Abu Bakr say that the pray«r of a brother for his brothers in God is accepted." And A'bdu'Uah in the Zawaid u'z Zuhd from Labid the poet, that he went to Abu Bakr and repeated this verse " Is not every thing but God unprofitable?"

He replied. " Thou hast spoken truly." And Labid continued : " And every joy is surely fleeting." Abu Bakr exclaimed, " thou hast spoken falsely—there is with God a joy jbhat never passeth away,"—and when Labid had gone, he said " Some- times a poet speaketh words of wisdom."

On Ms sayings wliich manifest the greatness of hisfear of his God.

Abu Ahmad al Hakim records on the authority of Mu'ad-b-.Tabal that Abu Bakr entered a garden, and, behold, there was a ringdove in the shade of a tree, and he heaved a deep sigh and said, " happy art thou, bird, that eatest of the trees and seekest shelter beneath them, and art not called to account—would that Abu Bakr were like unto thee." And Ibn A'sakir from al Asma'i that when Abu Bakr was once praised, he said, " Lord, Thou knowest more of me than I myself, and 1 know more concerning myself than they— God, make me better than they think me, and forgive me that which they know not, and call me not to account for what

* A'rfajali-'b-Asa'd-b-Safwaii, one of the Companions, of the Banu Tamm. t These are said to destroy women, that is the love of gold and perfnmes, as flesh meat and wine called also 01^4-^51 ' are said to destroy men.

i A'bu A'bdu'lla MusUm-b-Yasar of Ba?rah. kSome say he was the fireedman of Othmln, others of Talhah. He was distinguished for his knowledge of jurisprudence, he died A. H. 100-1. An Nawawi, [ 108 ]

they say." And Ahmad in the Zuhd from Abu I'mran al Jfini, that Abn Bakr as Siddik said, " I would I were a hair in the side of a servant, a true believer." And from Mujahid, that Ibn u'z Zubayr when he rose to prayers was as a stock of wood in abasement, and I have been told that Abu Bakr was the same. And from al Hasan that Abu Bakr said, " by Allah, verily I would I were this tree which is eaten of and felled." And from Katadah that he said, " it has been related to me that Abu Bakr said

' I would that I were pasture that cattle might eat me.' " And from Dhamrah-b-Habib that a son of Abu Bakr's was near unto death, and the youth kept looking towards a cushion, and when he was dead, they said to Abu Bakr, " we saw thy son looking towards a cushion," and they moved him from the cushion and they found underneath it five or six dinars. Then Abu Bakr struck one hand upon the other, and uttered the two pro-

fessions of faith, and kept saying ' verily we belong to God and urito Him shall we return.' O such a one, how greatly doth thy body desire that it should be amplified for this."* And from Thabit al Bunani that Abn Bakr applied this verse by way of similitude.

Thou shalt not cease to announce the death of a friend until thou

art as he is And verily the youth eherisheth a hope, and dieth without attaining

it-

Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Ibn Sirin, that, after the death of the prophet, there was no one more apprehensive on account of what he knew not, than Abu Bakr, and no one after Abu Bakr more apprehensive on account of what he knew not, than Omar, and when a case came before Abu Bakr, and he could not find its exemplar in the Book of God, nor a tradition regarding it in the Sunnat, he would say, " I will act to the best

of my judgment, and if it be just, then it is from God, and if erroneous, then it is mine, and may God pardon me."

On what has been handed down of Mm regarding the interpretation of dreams.

Sa'id-b-Mansur records on the authority of Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab that he said, " Ayesha dreamed that there came down into her house, three

* " On tlie Bay of Judgment, their treasures shall be intensely heated in the fire of hell, and their forehead and their sides and backs shall, be stigmatized therewith." Kur IX. As Suyuti in his Commentary (Tafsir u'l Jaldlayn) says on this passage, that the bodies of these reprobates will be inflated and extended in order to become capable of receiving the brand of each coin that they have treasured. The identical

word t*J| is employed by him to express this meaning. [ 109 ] moons, and she related it to Abu Bakr who was one of the most learned in interpretation among men. He said, " verily thy dream hath spoken truly—there shall be buried verily in thy house, three of the best of mankind." And when the prophet died, he said, " Ayesha, this is the best of thy moons.'' And from Omar-b-Shurhabil, that the apostle of God said, " I dreamed that I drove before me some black sheep, then I drove after them white sheep, so that the black could not be seen among them." And Abu Bakr said, " apostle of God, as for the black sheep, verily they signified the Arabs who shall embrace the faith, and increase in numbersi and the white sheep are the barbarians who shall be converted until the Arabs shall not be seen among them by reason of their numbers." The apostle of God replied, " so the angel interpreted it this morning." A tradition is also also ascribed to him from Ibn Abi Laylah that the apostle

of God said, " I dreamed I was at a well drawing from it, and there approached me black sheep and behind them grey sheep ;" and Abu Bakr said, "suffer me to interpret it" and he continued as above. Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Muhammad Ibn Sirin that he said, " the most learned in interpretation of this people after their prophet

is Abu Bakr." And from Ibn Shihab, that the apostle of God had a dream and related it to Abu Bakr and said, " I dreamed as it were that I and thou were vying with each other in mounting a ladder, and I preceded thee by two steps and a half." He replied, " O apostle of God, the Lord will take thee unto His forgiveness and mercy and I shall live after thee two years and a half." Al 'Bayhaki records in the Proofs on the authority of A'bdu'Uah-b-Buraydah that the apostle of God sent A'mr-b- u'l A'as at the head of a body of troops, among them being. Abu Bakr and Omar, and when they arrived at the field of war, A'mr commanded that they should not light fires, and Omar was wroth and purposed going to him, but Abu Bakr prevented him and explained to him, saying, " the apostle of God hath not placed him* over thee, but for his knowledge of wars this therefore Cometh from him." And from an ascription of Abu Ma'shar that the

•apostle of God said " verily I shall appoint a man over the people who is the best among them, who may be vigilant of eye and clear-sighted in war." Khalifah-b-Khayyat and Ahmad-b-Hanbal, and Ibn A'sakir record on the authority of Tazid-b-u'l Asamm,t that the prophet said to Abu Bakr " Am I the greater or thou ?" He replied " thou art the greater and no-

bler, but I am older than thou." This tradition is interrupted in trans-

* The printed text has jUJjtJi'xj. for al»i>jl«..i

t Atu A'uf Yazid-b-u'l Asamm a native of Kdfah and a Tabi'i. He dwelt at Eakkah and died there A. H. 103. He was the son of the sister of Maymuna wife of Muhammad and the traditions related by him are considered authentic. An Nawawi, [ no ] mission and narrated but by one authority, but if it were substantiated, reverence this answer should be accounted as a proof of his sagacity and ; but this reply is commonly ascribed to A'bbds. And the same is ascribed to Sa'id-b-Yarbiin (recorded by at Tabarani) and its reading, that the Apostle of God said to him, " which of us is the greater ?" he replied, "thou art greater and better than I, but I am the elder." Abu Nua'ym records that it was said to Abu Bakr, " O vicegerent of the apostle of God, wilt thou not employ in service those who fought at Badr ?" He replied, " I know their dignity but I am loth to defile them with the world." And Ahmad in the Zuhd from Isma'il-b-Muhammad, that Abu Bakr divided the spoil into portions and divided it, equally among the people, and Omar said to him, " dost thou apportion it equally among the men of Badr and the rest of the people ?" Abu Bakr replied, " verily the world is a sufficiency, and the best sufficiency is that which is most comprehensive, but verily the superiority of these* lies in their spiritual rewards." Ahmad records in the Zuhd on the authority of Abu Bakr-b-Hafs that he said, " I have heard that Abu Bakr used to fast in summer, and break his fastf in winter." And Ibn Sa'ad from Hayyan the goldsmith that the impression on the signet ring of Aba Bakr was, " excellent is the omnipotent God !"—At Tabarani records on the authority of Musa-b-U'kbah that he said, " I do not know four people who attained with their sons to the time of the prophet, save these four, Abu Kuhafah and his son Abu Bakr as Siddik,—and his son Abdu'r Bahman—and Abu A'tik son of A'bdu'r Eahman whose name was Muhammad." And Ibn Mandah and Ibn A'sakir from Ayesha, that the parents of none among the Tugitives embraced Islam, save the parents of Abu Bakr.—Ibn Saa'd and al Bazzar

* That is, the men of Badr. t This would seem to imply that even when the Ramadhan fell in winter, so orthodox a believer did not comply with the indispensable duty of fasting during that month. The explanation however, though so immaterial a point scarcely deserves it, is perhaps as follows. According to Lane, the present months of the Muhammadan year, were named by KUdb-b-Murrah, an ancestor of Muhammad, about two centuries before Islam. These months were lunar, and' from this period, with a view of adopting their year to the solar, the Arabs added a month, which they called vJj""*'! at the end of every three years, until they were forbidden to do so by Kuran (Ch. IX). The abolition of the intercalation was proclaimed by Muhammad at the pilgrimage in the tenth year of the Flight. It is obvious from the derivations of the Arabic names of the months, that they were called after th« seasons in which they fell. The U)l}X!/a. (from is'^J signifying vehement heat) occurred between the middle of

July and the middle of August : whUe the years were yet adapted to the solar, there would be a fixity of recurrence, or nearly so, of the months in the same seasons, and thus Abu Bakr might well have fasted in summer frequently enough to account for the tradition. [ 111 ] record on good autborities from Anas that the oldest in years of the companions of the apostle of God were Abu Bakr as Siddilj and Subayl-b-A'mr- b-Baydhd. Note—Al Bayhalji records in the " Proofs" on the authority of Asma daughter of Abu Bakr that she said, " In the year of the conquest of Mecca, a daughter of Abu ^^uhafah went forth and some horsemen met her, and upon her neck was a necklace of gold pieces, and a man wrenched it from her neck. And when the apostle of God entered the mosque, Abu

Bakr stood up and said ' I call upon God and Islam for the necklace of my sister'—and by Allah, no one answered him. He repeated it then a second time, but no one answered him. Then he exclaimed, ' sister reckon upon a reward of God for thy necklace, for by Allah, there is little honesty " among men now-a-days. ' Note—I have seen in the handwriting of the Hafidh ad Dahabi, the names of those who were unequalled in their time, in their special qualifications. Abu Bakr as Siddik in genealogy, Omar-b-u'l Khat^ab in steadfastness in the commands of God, Othman-b-A"ffan in modesty, A'li in judicial decision, Ubayy-b-Kaa'b in reading the Kuran, Zayd-b-Thabit, in the law of inheritance, Abu U'baydah-b-u'l Jarrah in honesty, Ibn A'bbaa in comment on the Kuran, Abu Darr in truthfulness of speech, Khalid-b-u'l Walid in courage, al Hasan al Basri in admonition, Wahb-b-Munabbih in narration, Ibn Sirin in interpretation of dreams, Nafi' in reading the Kuran, Abu Hanifah in jurisprudence, Ibn Ishak in accounts of military expeditions, Mukatil in expounding obscurities, al Kalbi in narrations from the Kuran, al Khalil in prosody, Fudhayl-b-I'yadh in devotion, Sibawayh in grammar, Malik in science, as Shafai in knowledge of tradition, Abu U'baydah, in interpreting obscure words occurrirtg in traditions, A'li-b-u'l Madini in defects invalidating traditions, Tahya-b-Ma'in in traditional authorities, Abu Tammam in poetry, Ahmad-b-Hanbal in the Sunnah, al Bukhari in discrimination of traditions, al Junayd in mysticism, Muhammad- b-Nasr al Marwazi in reconciling the contradictory meanings of traditions, al Jubbai in expounding the tenets of the Mua'tazalites, al Ashari in scholastic theology, Muhammad-b-Zakariya ar Eazi, in medicine, Abu Ma'shar in astrology, Ibrahim al Kirmani in interpretation of dreams, Ibn Nubatah in preaching, Abu'l Faraj al Isbahani in debate, Abu'l Kasim at Tabarani on traditions of the highest authority, Ibn Hazm in the literal interpretation of the Kuran, Abu'l Hasan al Bakri in lying, al Hariri in his discourses, Ibn Mandah in extent of travel, al Mutanabbi in poetry, al Mausili in vocal music, as Suli in chess, al Khatib al Baghdadi in quickness in reading the Km'an, A'li-b-Hilal in calligraphy, A'ta as Salimi* in fear,

* rbn KhaUakam gives the life of A'ta-b-Abi Eabah Aslam Mufti of Mecca, and a devout ascetic. The ' fear' may therefore signify ' the fear of God' if this be the in- [ 112 ] al Kadhi al FMhil, in composition, al Asma'i in singular anecdotes, Asha'b in covetousness, Ma'bid in singing, Avicenna in philosophy.

OMAE-B-U'L KHATTi^B.

Omar-b-n'l Khattdb, b-KTufayl-b-A'bdu'l A'za, b-Eiyah-b-Kurt-b- Eazah-b-A'di-b-Kaa'b-b-Luayy, the Prince of the Faithful, Abu Hafs, al Kurayshi, al A'dwi, al Faruk, {the Discriminator) embraced Islam in the sixth year of the prophetic mission being seven and twenty years of age (ad Dahabi). An Nawawi says that Omar was born thirteen years after the year of the elephant.* He was one of the chiefs of the Kuraysh and was charged with the duties of an envoy in the time of Ignorance ; for the Kuraysh, whenever a war took place among themselves, or between themselves and others, used to send him as envoy, that is as a representative, and whenever a challenger would contend against their honor, or a boaster contest their glory, they would send him to vie and to contend in their name. He embraced the faith early—after the conversion of forty men and ten women—or as some say, after thirty-nine men, and twenty-three women, and others, forty -five men and eleven women. He had no sooner embraced Islam, than he openly declared his faith at Mecca and the Muslims rejoiced at it. An Nawawi adds, that he was one of the converts, and one of the ten to whom Paradise was promised, and one of the just Caliphs, and one of the fathers-in-law of the Apostle of God, and one of the most learned and most ascetic of the Companions. Five hundred and thirty-nine traditions direct from the Apostle of God are ascribed to him. Traditions are related on his authority by Othman-b-A'fian by A'li and Talhah and Saa'd, and Ibn A'uf and Ibn Masa'dd, and Abu Darr, and Omar-b-A'basah, and his son A'bdu'Uah, and Ibn A'bbas, and Ibn liz Zubayr, and Anas, andAbuHuray- rah, and A'mr-b-u'l A'as, and Abu Musa al Asha'ri, and al Baraa-b-A'azib, and Abu Sa'id al Khudri, and others of the Companions and some besides them. I remark, that I will here devote some chapters to the principal observations of note connected with his biography.

dividual meant. I can discover no other name bearing any resemblance with that in the text.

* The year of the defeat of Ahraha-h-u'l Sahah sumamed al Ashram or the slit. nosed-Mng or viceroy of Yaman, who marched against Mecca at the head of an ai-my, wherein were several elephants, to avenge the profanation of the ChristiEin Church at Sanda, by some of the tribe of Kenanah. His fate and that of his army is well-known. See the story in Sale and his comments thereon. In this year Mu\iammad was bom. [ 113 ]

On the accounts which have been handed down regarding his conversion.

At Tirmidi records on the authority of Ibn Omar, that the prophet said, " O God, glorify Islam by the most endeared to Thee of these two men, Omar the son of al Khattab or Jahl the son of Hishdm." And al Hakim from Ibn A'bbas, that the prophet said, " God, glorify Islam by Omar the son of al Khattab in particular." And Ahmad f];om Omar that he said, " I went forth to hinder the Apostle' of God, but I found that he had preceded me to the mosque, and I stood up behind him and he

sought to expound the Surah ' al Hakkah.'* And I began to wonder at

the composition of the Kuran and I said, ' by Allah, this is a poet, as the

Kuraysh say.' Then he read, ' This is the discourse of an honorable apostle and not the discourse of a poet—how little do ye believe,' &c., (LXIX). And the true faith entered into my heart with a full possession." And Ibn Abi Shaybah from Jabir that he said, "the beginning of

the conversion of Omar was thus as Omar hath related, ' the painsf of labour seized my sister in the night, and I went forth from the house and entered the precincts of the Kaa'bah, and the prophet came and entered the enclosure and upon him were two garments, and he prayed to God for that which God willed and then departed. And I heard a thing the like of which I had not heard before, and he went forth and I followed him and

he said, " who is that ?" and I replied, " Omar," then he said, " O Omar wilt thou not leave me night or day ?" and I feared lest he should curse me, and I said, " I testify that there is no God but God, and that thou art the Apostle of God." He answered " keep this secret." I replied, " No, by Him who sent thee in the truth, I will surely proclaim it, as I proclaimed my infidelity.'' And Ibn Saa'd, and Abu Ya'la, and al Hakim and al Bayhaki in the " Proofs" on the authority of Anas, that Omar went forth girt with his sword and a man of the Banu Zuhrah met him and said, " whither art thou going, O Omar ?" and he replied, " I intend to slay Muhammad ;" the other said, " how wilt thou be secure from the Banu Hashim and the Banu Zuh- ?" " rah, if thou shouldst slay Muhammad J He replied, I cannot but think that thou hast changed thy faith." He answered, " shall I not assure thee

" * Ch. LXIX, entitled the InfalliMe" ; the original words is one of the epithets of the Day of Judgment. t In the text the word (jol'sr*' jg pointed as the objective instead of the nomi- native case.

X The father of Muhammad belonged to the former tribe, his mother to the latter, 15 —

[ 114 ] of a strange thing, that thy brother-in-law,* and thy sister have changed their faith and abandoned thy religion ?" Then Omar departed and went to those two with whom was Khabbabjf and when he heard the sound of Omar approaching he hid himself in the house. And Omar entered and said, "what is this muttering"—(for they were reading the T. H.)J and they said, " it is nothing but a discourse we were holding among ourselves." He said, " then perhaps you two have changed your religion," and his brother-in-law replied to him, ' 0, Omar suppose the truth were in another religion than thine !" whereon Omar sprang upon him and tram- pled him heavily under foot ; his sister then came to push him aside from her husband, but he struck her a blow with his hand, and her face bled : then being angry she said, " and suppose the truth were in another religion than thine ! verily I testify that there is no God but God, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Apostle." Then Omar exclaimed, " give me the book which you have, that I may read it." His sister said, " verily thouart unclean and ' none shall touch it except those who are clean' (Kur. LVI)—^therefore rise and bathe or perform ablution." AndOmar rose and made his ablutions and took the book and read the T. H., until " he came to Verily I am God ; there is no God besides me ; wherefore worship Me and perform tliy prayers in remembrance of Me" (Kur. XX). Then Omar said, " direct me to Muhammad ;" and when Ehabbab heard the words of Omar, he came forth and said, ." Eejoice with good tidings, O Omar, for verily, I trust that the prayer of the Apostle of God on Wednesday nightf may be

for thee when he said, ' God, glorify Islam by Omar, the son al Khattab, " or A'mr|| the son of Hisham. ' The Apostle of God was at the time in

the original house^f which stands at the foot of as Safa, and Omar went

• Sa'id-b-Zayd. t Atu Abdu'llah Khafbab-b-u'l Aratt was one of the earliest converts. He had been taken prisoner in the time of Ignorance and sold as a slave at Mecca. He is said to have been a freedman of Anmar daughter of Sabaa' of the tribe of Khuzaa'h confederate of the Banu Zuhrah. He died at KAfah A. H. 37 in the Caliphate of A'li and was buried outside the city at his special request. It had been the custom in Kufah for people to be buried at the doors of their houses, but after Khabbab's death and by his example, the custom was abolished, and the dead were buried outside the

ioty.

t The XXth Oh. of the Imuran is so entitled. The meaning of the letters is uncertain.

§ The day of the Arabs begins at sunset, the night of Thursday is therefore our Wednesday night. This was Abu Jahl's name. Nawawi describes him in his biography, as II An Abu Jahli^the enemy of God, " the Pharaoh of this people"—this latter epithet was given to him by Muhammad as he gazed upon his dead body after the battle of Badr where ho fell fighting against the new faith. V The house aUuded to belonged to Arlj^am of the Banu Makhzdm, one of the [ 115 ]

on until he reached the house, at the door of whieh were Hamzah and " Talhah and others. And Hamzah said, this is Omar ; if God desireth* his good, he will be converted, and if He desireth otherwise, his death will sit lightly upon us." The narrator adds, " the prophet was then within, under the divine inspiration, and he came forth and went to Omar and

clasped him round all his garments and his sword belt, and said ' wilt thou not cease, Omar, until God sendeth upon thee calamity and chastisement

such as He sent upon al WaUd-b-u'l Mughirah.'f And Omar said ' I testify that there is no God, but God and that thou art the servant of God " and His Apostle.' Al Bazzar, and at Tabarani and Abu Nua'ym in the " Htdiyah," and " al Bayhaki in the Dalail" record on the authority of Aslam J that he " narrates : Omar said to me—I was the most violent of men against the Apostle of God, and while I was one sultry day in the noontide heat in

one of the streets of Mecca, a man met me and said, ' I wonder at thee, O son of al Klattab, that thou thinkest that thou art this and that while

verily an event has occurred at thy house.' I said, 'and what is that ?'

He replied, ' thy sister hath embraced Islam'—Then I turned back in wrath until I knocked at the door. They asked, ' who is there ?' I replied, ' Omar.' Then they hastened away and hid from me, and verily, they had been reading a paper before them which they had left and forgotten. Then my sister arose and opened the door,, and I said, ' enemy of thyself, hast thou changed thy faith ?' and I struck her upon the head with a thing that was in my hand arid the blood flowed and

' she wept and said, O son of al Khattab ! what thou soughtest to do, do, for verily I have changed my faith.' Omar continued, aad I went in and sat upon a bedstead, and I looked upon the paper and said, ' what is that ? give it to me'—she said, ' thou art not worthy of it for thou art not puri- fied from uncleanness, and this book " none shall touch it, except those who are clean; " ' but I did not desist until she gave it to me, and I opened

earliest converts to the faith, and was a favourite resort of Muhammad's. From the converts made therein, it was styled, according to al Wakidi, the house of Islam. Bee,Muir, Vol. II, p. 118. * The printed edition is here in error, there should be no ' tashdid' over this verb, which is the 4th form of ^jy apocopated by the particle ^yi. t One of the " scoffers" alluded to in Kur. ch. XT. Passing by some arrows, one of them hitched in his garment, and he, out of pride, not stooping to take it off, the head of it cut a vein in his heel, and he bled to death. See the tragic end of the other four in Sale, p. 21.4. Sale spells the name Mugheirah, but I can find no authority for it. An Nawawi is clear upon its pronunciation. X The freedman of Omar-b-u'l Khattab. According to some, he had been one of the prisoners of Yaman—others say that he was an Abyssinian. An Nawawi. [ 116 1

' is in the heavens and the earth it, and behold ! there was in it whatever singeth praise unto God.' (LVII), and I was terrified, and I read unto ' Believe in God and his Apostle.' Then I exclaimed, ' I testify that there is no God but God,' and those who had fled away, came forth to me and magnified God and said, ' rejoice with good tidings, for the Apostle of God prayed on Monday and said, " God, glorify Thy faith by the most endeared to Thee of two men, either Abu Jahl the son of Hisham or Omar !" ' and they directed me to the prophet to the house at the foot of as Safa. And I went on until I knocked at the door, and they said, ' who is it.' I replied ' the son of al Khattab,' and, verily, they knew my violence against the Apostle of God, and no one was bold enough to open the door until Muhammad said, ' open for him,' and they opened for me and two men seized my arm, until the prophet came to me and said, ' stand off from him.' Then he caught me round my garment and drew me to him and said, ' be converted, O son of al Khattab. God ! direct him aright.' Then I made the profession of faith. Thereupon the Muslims magnified God, with a ' takbir' that was heard in the defiles of Mecca. They had hitherto sought concealment, and I* never wished to see a man, beating or being beaten, but I beheld him while nothing of this could befall me. Then I went to my maternal uncle, Abu Jahl, the son of Hisham, and he was a man of high consideration, and I knocked at his door and he said, ' who is that ?' I replied, ' the son of al Khattab, and verily I have changed my religion,' and he said, ' do it not.' Then he went within and shut the door

upon me, and I said, ' this is nothing ;' and I went on to a man of the chiefs of the Kuraysh, and called out to him, and he come forth to me and I addressed him in the same words as to my uncle, and he replied to me, as my uncle had replied, and he went in and shut the door upon me and I said,

' ?' this is nothing ! shall the Muslims be beaten and I not be beaten Then

a man said to me, ' dost thou wish that thy being converted to Islam, should be known ?' and I said ' yes.' He replied, ' when the people assemble in the precincts of the Kaabah, go to a certain man who cannot keep a

secret and say to him that which is to be between thee and him, viz., verily I have changed my faith, for it is rare that he can conceal a secret.' And I went when the people had assembled in the enclosure, and I mentioned what was to be between me and him, saying, ' verily I have changed my faith.' He replied ' Hast thou really done so ?' I said ' yes.' Then he cried out

at the top of his voice, ' verily the son of al Khattdb hath changed his

The Arabic idiom here, is so difficult to transfer with any closeness of translation, into English, that I fear I have sacrificed iateUigibility to a desire to be literal. Omar means to say, that either before his conversion, or before it was made known, his position as a chief of the !^uraysh secured him from all insult. [ 117 ] faith ;' then they fell upon me, and I did not cease to beat them, nor they to beat me, while the people gathered round me. Then my uncle said,

' what is this gathering ?' they said to him, ' Omar hath changed his faith.'

Then he stood up in the enclosure and waved his sleeve saying, ' verily I take under my protection the son of my sister,' and they gave way from me. But I did not like to see one of the Muslims beating or being beaten, but I would see him and say, ' this is nothing, perchance it may befall me,'* and I went to my uncle and said ' thy protection is returned to thee' and I did not cease from beating and being beaten until God exalted Islam." Abu Nua'ym in the " Dalail," and Ibn A'sdkir record on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he said, " I asked of Omar, ' why art thou called al Pdruk ? {the discriminator) ?' and he said, ' Hamzah embraced Islam three days before me, and I went to the mosque, and Abu Jahl hastened to the prophet and reviled him, and Hamzah was informed of it ; so he took his bow and went to the mosque towards a group of the Kuraysh in which was Abu Jahl, and he leaned upon his bow over against Abu Jahl and regarded him, and Abu Jahl saw that mischief was in his

' countenance,' and he said, what is the matter with thee O ! Abu U'marah ?'t and Hamzah lifted up his bow and struck him with it upon the two cupping-veins of the neck and cut them, and the blood flowed, whereupon the Kuraysh adjusted the matter amicably, fearing mischief." Then Omar continued, " the Apostle of God was at that time concealed in the house of Arkam the son of A'bu'l Arkam al Makhziimi, and Hamzah went away and embraced Islam. Three days afterwards, I went forth when behold ! there came a certain man of the tribe of the Banu Makhzum, and I said, ' hast thou turned away from the faith of thy fathers and followed the faith of Muhammad ?' and he replied, 'if I have done so, then verily, one —hath done so likewise who hath a greater claim upon thee ?' ' than I.' I said ' and who is that He answered, thy sister as well as thy brother-in-law.' And I departed and reached the house, and I heard a low whispering, and I entered and said, ' what is this ?' and words did not cease to pass between us, until I took my brother-in-law by the head and smote him and covered him with blood, but my sister rose against me

* That is, I hope it may hefall me. The MS. has j^JL^ for the i>,j of the printed edition which makes the sense clearer. This passage is similar to the one I have already noted in a preceding page, with the difference, that he is now descrihing a state of feeling arrived at since his conversion had heen made puhlic. His zeal as a convert and his natural pugnacity would not permit him to behold a Muslim being beaten without wishing to share in the unpopularity of the new faith. Hia fervour would not be content with anything but hard knocks which, however, he returned as freely as he received them.

t His surname : it was also that of al Bara-b-A'azib—the Companion. [ 118 ]

and seized my head and said, ' verily that hath been done in spite of thee.' And I was ashamed when I saw the blood and I sat down and said, ' show shall it me this writing,' but she replied, ' none touch except those who are clean.' And I arose and bathed, and they brought out to me a paper in which was ' In the name of God, the most merciful and Compassionate' (and I said ' names, good and holy'). T. H. we have not sent dowh the Kuran unto thee that thou should'st be unhappy and I read on to His words ' most excellent names' (Kur. XX). And there arose in my heart a great awe and I said, ' is it from this the Kuraysh have fled ?' and I embraced Islam and said, ' where is the Apostle of God ?' She replied

' verily he is in the house of Arkam,' and I went and knocked at the door and the people gathered together and Hamzah said to them, • what is it

?' ' ' •with ye They said, it is Omar' ; he replied, what ! Omar ! open the door to him, and if he cometh to us amicably, we will receive him, and if he turneth away from us we shall slay him ;' and the Apostle of God heard that, and he came forth and Omar made the profession of faith.

Then the people of the house magnified God with a ' takbir' that was heard by the dwellers in Mecca. I said, ' Apostle of God, are we not in the Truth ?' he replied, ' yes.' I said, ' then wherefore this concealment ?' So we came forth in two ranks, I at the head of one of them and Hamzah, of the other, until we entered the mosque, and the Kuraysh looked upon me and upon Hamzah, and a great grief fell upon them. The Apostle of God therefore, named me the Discriminator, from that day, because Islam was made manifest and truth distinguished from falsehood." Ibn Saa'd records from Dakwan* that he narrates, " I said to Ayesha, who named Omar, the Discriminator ?" she replied, " the prophet." And Ibn Majah and al Hakim from Ibn A'bbds, that he said, " wlien Omar embraced Islam, Gabriel descended and said, ' Muhammad, verily the dwellers in heaven announce with rejoicing the conversion of Omar.' " Al Bazzar records, and al Hakim, who verifies it on the authority of Ibn A'bbas, that when Omar was converted, the idolaters said, " verily, to-day, the sect have avenged " themselves upon us," and the Lord revealed,t prophet ! God is thy support, and such of the true believers that have followed thee" (Kur. VIII). And al Bukhari from Ibn Masa'M that he said, " we continued increasing in honour from the time when Omar was converted." And Ibn Saa'd and at Tabarani from Ibn Masa'ud, that he said, " the conversion of Omar

* There are seven of this name mentioned by Ibn Hajr. The one referred to in the text is probably the freedman of Huljammad.

t Some say this passage was revealed in a plain called aJi Beida, hetween Mecca and Medina during the expedition of Budr. tSale. [ 119 ] was a conquest, his flight* a victory, and his Imamate a divine mercy, and verily, we said that we were unable to pray in the House of Ood until Omar was converted, and when Omar was converted, he fought with them until they left us alone and we prayed therein." Ibn Saa'd and al Hdkim record from Hudayfah, that he said, " when Omar was converted, Islam was as a man advancing who doth not progress without approaching, and when Omar was slain, Islam was as a man retreating, who doth not progress without receding." And at Tabarani from Ibn A'bbas, that he said, " the first who openly manifested Isldm was Omar-b- u'l Khattab." His authorities are trustworthy and excellent. And Ibn Saa'd from Suhayb, " when Omar was converted, Islam was declared and

the people openly invited to it, and we sat in a circle round the temple and went in procession round the temple, and avenged ourselves on those who had oppressed us, and returned back upon them somewhat of that which they had brought upon us." And Ibn Saa'd from Aslam, the freedman of Omar, " Omar was converted in the month of Du'l Hijjah in the sixth year of the prophetic mission, and he was then six and twenty years old."

On Ms FliffM.

Ibn A'satir records on the authority of A'li, that he said, " I never

knew any one flee unless secretly, except Omar-bu'l Khattdb, for he, when he resolved on flight, girt on his sword and slung over him his bow and

grasped in his hand its arrows, and went to the Kaa'bah where in its quadrangle were the chiefs of the Kuraysh, and he went round about it seven times, then prayed two rakaa'hsf at the station of Abraham, and

went to each, one by one, in their circle and said, ' may the faces be foul of such as desire that his mother be bereaved of him and his child be left an orphan and his wife a widow, and if there he such a one, let him meet me behind this valley'—but no one followed him." And from al Bara.J that he said, "the first man who came to us, of the Tugitives was Musaa'b-b-U'mayr, then Ibn Umm Maktiim,§ then Omar-bu'l Khattab with

* To Medina with the prophet. an inclination of t A rakaa'h is a single act of standing in prayer, followed hy the head, and two prostrations. t Itn Hair gives six of the name—the reference in the text is prohahly to al Bara-b-A'azib, one of the Auxiliaries of Medina. others A'mr-h-Kays. His mother's name § Some say his name was A'tdu'Uah, was A'atikah of the Banu Makhzdm. He resided at Medina after Badr, being then in blind, and used to ofaoiate as Imam at public prayers when Muhammad was absent his expeditions. A'warifu'l Ma'arif of Ibn. Kutaybah. — ;

[ 120 1

?' twenty horsemen, and we said, ' what is the Apostle of God doing He ;' arrived and with replied, ' he cometh after me then then Apostle of God him Ahu Bakr."* An Nawawi says that Omar was present with the Apostle of God in steadfast to him on the all his expeditions, and was of those who remained day of Ohud.

On the traditions handed down, regarding his merit, other than what has preceded in the life of Abu Bakr.

The two Shaylihs record on the authority of Ahu Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said, " while I was asleep, I saw myself in Paradise, and he- held there was a woman performing her ablutions by the side of a house I said, ' whose is this house ?' they replied ' Omar's.' Then I recollected thy jealousy and I turned back." And Omar wept and said, " should I be jealous of thee, Apostle of God !" And from Ibn Omar that the Apostle of God said, '' whilst I was asleep, I dreamt that I drank (meaning milk) so that I saw the stream issuing from my nails, and I gave it to Omar." They said, " how dost thou interpret it, Apostle of God !" He answered, " it was knowledge." And from Abu Sa'id, al Khudri, " I heard the Apostle of God say, ' whilst I was sleeping, I saw the people presented to me, and upon them were garments, some of them reaching to the

breast and some of them reaching below it, and Omar was presented to me and upon him a garment which he was dragging along.' They said,

'how dost thou interpret it, Apostle of God!' He answered 'it was religion.' " And from Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkas, that the Apostle of God said, " O son of al Khaftdb—by Him in whose hand is my life, the devil hath never met thee walking in a road, but he hath taken a road other than thy road." And al Bukhari from Ibn Hurayrah, that the Apostle of God said, " verily there have been among those who have gone before ye among the nations, men inspired, and if there be such a one among my people, it is Omar." And at Tirmidi from Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God said, " verily God hath placed truth upon the tongue of Omar the son of al Khattab and upon his heart." Ibn Omar says, " never did a thing come upon the people, and they

said one thing regarding it, and Omar another, but the Kur^n revealed it after the manner that Omar had said." And at Tirmidi and al Hakim,

* Al Bard, as quotedl Ijy an Nawawi, places four others between Ibn Umm Maktdm

and Omar, viz., A'mm4r-b-Yiisir Saa'd-b-Ati \Vakka?, Ibn Masa'ud and Bilal. t 121 ]

who has verified it from U'kbah-b-A 'amir, record, that the Apostle of God

said, " if there were to be a prophet after me, it would be Omar the son of al Khattab." And at Tirmidi, from Ayesha, that the Apostle of God' said, " verily I behold the evil spirits among Genii and men, fleeing from before Omar." And Ibn Majah anH al Hakim from Ubayy-b-Kaa'b, that the Apostle of God said, " the first with whom Truth joineth hands, and the first it blesseth, and the first it taketh by the hand and entereth Paradise, is Omar." And from Abu Darr that he narrates, " I heard the Apostle of

God say, ' verily the Lord hath placed truth upon the tongue of Omar, by which He speaketh.' And Ahmad and al Bazzar from Abu Hurayrah

that the Apostle of God said, ' verily the Lord hath placed truth upon the tongue of Omar and upon his heart.' And Ibn Manii' in his Musnad from

A'li, that he said, ' we the Companions of Muhammad did not doubt that the divine presence spake by the tongue of Omar.' And al Bazzar from Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God said, ' Omar is the lamp of the dwellers in Paradise.' And from Kudamah-b-Madhu'iin on the authority of his brother,* Othman-b-Madhu'dn, that the Apostle of God said,— ' this is the bolt against discord'—and he pointed with his hand to Omar ' there shall not cease to be between you and discord, a gate strongly bolted, as long as " he liveth among you.' At Tabarani records in the A'usat from Ibn A'bbas, that Gabriel came to the prophet and said, " greet Omar with a salutation and tell him that his anger is glory and his approval, command." And Ibn A'sakir from Ayesha, that the prophet said, " verily Satan avoideth Omar." And Ahmad on the ascription of Buraydah,t that the prophet said, " verily !" Satan avoideth thee, Omar • and Ibn A'sakir from Ibn A'bbas that the Apostle of God said, " there is not an angel in heaven, but he revereth Omar and not a demon on earth but he fleeth from Omar." And at Tabarani in the Ausa't from Abu Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said, " verily God gloried regarding the pilgrims of A'rafahJ in general and al Fadhl b-u'l Omar in particular." And at Tabarani and al Daylami from A'bbas that the Apostle of God said, "the Truth. after me is with Omar wherever he may be."

* The text and MS. have 'unole' which appears to be an error. IJusayh, one of the Companions. He resided t Ahu A'bdu'llah Buraydah h-u'l and removed suhsecLuently to Marw where he died at Medina, afterwards at Basrah from Muhammad. An Nawawi. A. H. 62. He related 164 traditions different authorities. In the Kitah u'l Iktifa t This is given differently hy ^Jl^^l '^7 Ibrahim-h-Ahdu'Ua, al Wasabi, al Yamani, ( lilsr'i**); ill J/ai V^ ) his angels regarding men on the day of A'rafah. Lane as Shafi'i—God vied Vith angels vied with them." The day of A'rafah is the gives another reading, "the ceremonies, consult Burton. 9th of Du'l Hijjah—for its 16 [ 122 ]

The two Shaykhs record on the authority of Ibn Omar and Abu Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said, " whilst I was sleeping, I saw myself by a well, upon which was a bucket, and I drew up from it what

God willed ; then«Abu Bakr took it and he drew up a bucket-full or two, and there was feebleneas in his drawing and may God have mercy upon him. Then came Omar and he sought to draw, and the bucket became changed into a large bucket, and I have not seen a chief of the people do his wonderful deeds, so that the people satisfied their thirst and abode at the water." ?

An Nawawi says in his Tahdib, that the learned assert that this is an indication of the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and Omar, and the numerous conquests and triumphs of Islam during the time of Omar. At Tabarani records on the authority of Sadisah,* that the Apostle of God said, " verily Satan hath never met Omar since his conversion but he hath fallen prostrate on his face." And from Ubayy-b-Kaa'b that the Apostle of God " said, " Gabriel said to me, ' verily Islam will weep at the death of Omar.' And in the Ausat from Abu Sa'id al Khudri, that the Apostle of God said, " he who hateth Omar, hath hated me, and he who loveth Omar, hath loved me, and verily, the Lord gloried regarding the people on the evening of the day of A'rafah in general, and rejoiced over Omar in particular, and the Lord hath never sent a prophet, but there was among his people one inspired, and if there be such a one among my people, it is Omar." They said " Apostle of God, how inspired ?" He replied, " the angeb speak by his tongue." (His authorities are good.)

On the sayings of the Companions and tlie early Muslims regarding him.

" Abu Bakr as Siddik said, there is not upon the face of the earth a man dearer to me than Omar." (Ibn A'sakir.) It was said to Abu Bakr in his illness, " what wilt thou say to thy God, now that thou hast appointed ?" Omar to rule He replied, " I will say to Him 'I have appointed over the best « them of them." (Ibn Saa'd.) A'li said, when the righteous are mentioned, then quick and mention Omar : we used to say not without reason that the divine presence speaketh by the tongue of Omar." (At Tabarani in the Ausat.) And Ibn Omar said, " I never saw any one after the Apostle of God, from the time that he died, more vehement and yet more beneficent than Omar." " (Ibn Saa'd.) And Ibn Masa'dd if the

* The freedwoman of Htaf?ah, the daughter of Omar. She belonged to the Auxiliaries. Ibn Hajr. [ 1^3 1 wisdom of Omar were placed in the scale of a balance, and the wisdom of living things upon the earth in the other scale, the wisdom of Omar would outweigh them, and verily people used to think that he bore away nine- tenths of wisdom." (At Tabardni in the Kabir and al Hakim.) And

Hudayfah—" it is as if the wisdom of mankind lay hidden in the bosom of Omar ;" and, " by Allah I know not a man whom the reproof of the censurer in what relateth to the service of God, doth not touch, but Omar." And Ayesha speaking of Omar said, " by Allah, he was active in affairs, singly undertaking their management." And al Mu'awiyah, " Abu

Bakr sought not the world and it sought not him,' but Omar, the world

sought though he sought it not, while we are plunged in it up to the middle." (Az Zubayr-b-Bakkar in the Maukifiyat.) when he was at prayers and , Jabir relates that A'li went to Omar said, " may the mercy of God be upon thee! -there is no one with the

record of whose actions it would be more pleasing to me to meet God, (after the Companionship of the prophet) than this performer of prayers." (Al Hdkim). And Masa'tid has said, " when the righteous are mentioned, then quick and mention Omar—verily Omar was the most learned of us in the book of God, and the most profoundly versed in the religious ordinances of the Most High." (At Tabarani and al Hakim.) Ibn A'bbas was asked regarding Abu Bakr, and he said " he was like goodness itself ;" and he was asked regarding Omar, and he said, " he was like a wary bird

that seeth a snare in every path, to take it ;" and he was' questioned about A'li, and he said, " he was full of resolution and vigilance and wisdom and dignity" (recorded in the Tuyuriyat). At Tabarani records on the authority of U'mayr-b-Eabii', that Omar said to Kaa'b al Ahbar,* " what description of me dost thou find ?" "I find

thy description to be a horn of iron,"t he said, " and what is a horn of iron ?" He replied, " a resolute prince whom the reproof of the censurer in what relateth to the service of God, doth not touch." Omar said, " then what ?" He replied " there shall come after thee a Caliph whom a cruel faction shall slay." He asked, " then what ?" He answered, " then shall follow calamity." And Ahmad and al Bazzar and at Tabarani from Ibn Masa'ud that he said, " Omar, the son of al Khattab, was distinguished above

men, for four things :

* A Jew who embraced Islam in the time of Omar and a constant companion of that Caliph. D'Herbelot gives the name to a hook in which are recorded many, fabulous stories of Islam. The author he adds, is unknown and his work contains many Christian traditions, among them, that of the guardian angels. According to the

the Muntaha 1' Arab, al Ahb&r is incorrect—it should be Hibr, (/4^) which signifies a Jewish or Christian doctor of science. t Kings xxii. 11. "

[ 124 ]

1. " In the affair of the prisoners on the day of Badr,* whom he

ordered to be put to death, and God revealed, ' unless a revelation had been previously delivered from God,' &c., (Kur. VIII).

2. " In the affair of the veil.f He commanded the wives of the prophet that they should be veiled and Zaynab said to him, ' thou art against us, O son of al Khattab, and yet the divine inspiration descends within our house;' then God revealed, ,' and when ye ask of the propJiefs wives, what ye may have occasion for, &c.,' (Kur. V).

3. " By the prayer of the prophet, ' O God strengthen Islam by Omar.' 4. " By his voice in favour of Abu Bakr, he being the first to swear allegiance to him." Ibn A'sakir records from Mujahid, that he narrates, " we used to say that the devils were chained during the rule of Omar, and were unloosed when he perished." And from Salim-b-A'bdi'UahJ that he said, " news of Omar was long in reaching Abu Musa, and he went to a woman possessed by a devil, and he asked her about him and she said, ' stay till my demon cometh,' and he came and she asked of him regarding Omar, and he said, ' I left him, girt round with a garment smearing with pitch the public camels, § and that man, no devil seeth but he falleth upon his nostrils, the angel is before his eyes, and Gabriel speaketh by his tongue.' Sufyan al -Thauri says " whosoever thinketh Ali had || that more right to the Caliphate, than Abu Bakr or Omar, hath ascribed blame to Abu Bakr, Omar, the Fugitives and the Auxiliaries. And Sharik^f has

* For an account of this, consult Sale, p. 146.

t Consult Sale, p. 349.

X The grandson of Omar distinguished for the piety and austerity of his life, died at Medina, A. H. 105-8.

§ " The abstinence and humility of Omar," says Gihhon " were not inferior to the virtues of Abu Batr : his food consisted of barley-bread or dates : his drink was water ; he preached in a gown that was torn or tattered in twelve places, and a Persian satrap who paid his homage to the conqueror, found him asleep among the beggars on the steps of the mosque of Medina." Decline and Fall. Abu A'bdu'llah Sufyan at Thauri-b-Sa'id-b-MasrIik was a native of Kufah and II of the highest authority in traditions and other sciences. He was made Kadhi of Ktifah by al Mahdi, but he fled and concealed himself to avoid the honour and its heavy responsibility—an amusing account of this is given by Ibn Khallikan, SufyAu was born A. H. 95 (A. D. 713-4), and died at Basrah A. H. 161 (777-8).

1 The printed edition has Shurayk, but this is an error. There is no one of any note bearing that name, while Abu A'bdu'llah Sharik an Nakha'i was the person who was appointed Kddlii of KHfah, after Sufyfa at Thauri s flight. He was a strong up- holder of All's merits, and his evidence is therefore adduced in proof of the superiority, —;

[ 125 ]

observed, ' no oiie who hath goodness in him, placeth A'li before Abu Bakr

and Omar.' And Abu Usamah says ' do ye know who were Abu Bakr and Omar ?—those two men were the father of Islam and its mother. And Jaa'far as Sddik,* ' I am quit of any one who mentioneth Abu Bakr " or Omar otherwise than favorably.'

On the coincidences of the sayings of Omar with the Kuran wMcTi some of the learned compute at more than twenty.

Ibn Mardawayh records on the authority of MujAhid that Omar

would form a judgment and the Kuran would reveal it. And Ibn Asakir from Ali, that he said, " verily there are in the Kuran some judgments after the judgment of Omar ;" and from Ibn Omar, an ascription reaching to the prophet, " the people never spake regarding a thing, Omar

likewise having spoken regarding it, but the Kurdn was revealed after the manner that Omar had spoken." And the two Shaykhs from Omar that

" ' he said, I was in accordance with my Lord in three things ; I said Apostle of God if we were to take the station of Abraham for a place of prayer, and there was revealed, take the station of Abraham for a

' place of prayers' (Kur. II) : and I said, Apostle of God, there go unto thy women the righteous and the sinner, and did thou but command them to be veiled !' —then Was revealed the verse regarding the veiling

and the vrives of the prophet assembled in indignation and I said, ' if he divorce you, his Lord can easily give him in exchange better wives than you.' (Kur. LXVI) and the like unto that was revealed." And Muslim from Omar that he said, " I was in accordance with my Lord in three things—^regarding the veiling — regarding the prisoners of Badr—and the station of Abraham." Therefore in this tradition there is a fourth instance : again according to the Tahdib of an Nawawi, the Kuran was revealed coincidently with his judgment, regarding the prisoners of Badr the veiling—the station of Abraham and the prohibition of wine. Thus universally acknowledged, of Abu Bakr and Omar. I can, however, find in Ibn Khalli. kan no hint of Shank's assertion of the pre-eminence of Abu Bakr and Omar—the evidence seems quite the other way, and I strongly suspect that as Suyuti's citation is not to be trusted. * The Imam Abu A'bdu'llah Jaa'far as Sadik (the Veracious) foiuih iu descent from Ali-b-Abi Talib, born A. H. 80 (A. D. 699), died and buried at Medina A. H. 148 (766). The same tomb contains the bodies of his father Muhammad al Bakir, his grandfather A'li Zayn u'l A'abidin and his grandfather's uncle, al Hasan son of A'li. !" " How rich a tomb," says Ibn Khallikan "ia generosity and nobility —

[ 126 ] a fifth instance is added, the tradition regarding which is in the Sunan and the Mustadrak of al Hakim, namely, that he said, ' O God, manifest

;' unto Tis regarding wine, a distinct declaration God then revealed its prohibition.* Ibn Abi Hatim records in his Commentary on the authority of Anas that Omar said, " I was in accordance with my Lord in four things the following verse was revealed, ' we formerly created man in a finer sort of clay' &c. (Kur. XXIII) and when it was revealed, I said, ' wherefore, blessed be God, the most excellent Creator,' and then came down, ' Wherei fore blessed be God, the most excellent Creator.'f (Kur. XXIII). A sixth instance is thus added in this tradition, and for the tradition there is another line of ascrip'tion which I have adduced in the Tafsir u'l

Musnad. Again I have seen in the work ' Tadhail u'l Imamayn' {Distin- guishing merits of tlie two 'Lmkxa%),hj AhxL A'bdu'Ilah as Shaybani, that Omar was in accordance with his Lord in one and twenty instances. He mentions these six and adds

7th. " The story of A'bdu'Uah-b-Ubayy." I observe that its tradition is in the Sahih on the authority of Omar who said, " when A'bdu'llah-b- Ubayy died, the Apostle of God was invited to read prayers over him, and he stood over him, but I arose and advanced until I was abreast of him and said, ' Apostle of God ! what ! over the enemy of God, the son of Ubayy who said one day such and such a thing,—and by Allah, but a little while after there came down " Neither do thou pray over any of them who " shall die" &c.' Kur. IX). J 8th. " ' They will ask thee concerning wine &c.' (Kur. 11). 9th. " ' O true believers, come not to prayers when ye are drunk' (IV). I remark that these two with the verse from the Sura of the ' Table' (IV) are but one single instance, and the three are in the preceding tradition. 10th. " When the Apostle of God was frequent in asking pardon for a faction, Omar said, ' it shall be equal unto them ;' then God revealed ' It shall be equal unto them, whether thou ask pardon for them' (Kur. LXIII). I observe that at Tabarani has recorded this on the authority of Ibn A'bb^s. " 11th. When Muhammad consulted the Companions regarding the advance to Badr, Omar counselled the advance, and there came down • as the Lord brought thee forth from thy house, &c.,' (Kur. VIII).

* In Chs. Ill and V. t These words are ascribed by Sale to A'bdu'Uah-b-Saa'd, Muhammad's amanuensis. See Sale's %mc. p. 108.

X For the story, consult Sale, p. 159. [ 127 ]

12th. " When he consulted the Companions regarding the affair of the

Falsehood,* Omar said, ' who gave her to thee in marriage, Apostle of God ?' He replied ' Allah'—Omar said, ' dost thou then think that thy

Lord would put a deceit upon thee regarding her ? God forbid ! this is a grievous calumny,' (Kur. XXIV), and the like was revealed. 13th. " The account concerning him in the matter of the fast when Omar went in unto his wife after waking from sleep, and that was forbid-

' den in the beginning of Islam ; and there was revealed, it is lawful for you on the night of the fast, &c.' (Kur. II). I note that Ahmad has recorded this in his Musnad.

14th. " The words of the Most High ' whoever is an enemy to Gabriel, &c.,' (Kur. II). I not.e that Ibn u'z Zubayr'and others have recorded this with numerous lines of ascription and the nearest of these to coincidence

with the Kurdn is that recorded by Ibn Abi Hakim on the authority of

A'bdu'r Rahman-b-Abi Laylah, viz., that a Jew met Omar and said, ' verily Gabriel, he whom your master speaketh of, is an enemy to us ;' and Omar

saidto him, ' whosoever is an enemy to God, or his angels, or his Apostles, or to Gabriel or Michael, verily God is an enemy to the unbelievers.'

(Kur. II) . Thus it was revealed by the tongue of Omar. 15th. " The words of the Most High. ' And by thy Lord, they will not perfectly believe, &c.,' (Kur. IV). I observe that Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Mardawayh have recorded the story of this, on the authority of Abu'l

Aswad, who said, .' tw.o men carried their dispute for decision before the prophet, and he judged between them, and the man against whom he had decided, said, " let us appeal to Omar the son of al Khattab," and they went to him, and the other maxi said, "the Apostle of God has judged in my favour against this man, but he exclaimed let us appeal to Omar ;" and " " Omar said, " was it so ?" He replied yes." Then Omar said, stay where

ye are until I come out unto you," ' and he went out to them grasping his sword, and he smote him who had said, ' let ns appeal to Omar,' and slew

' him and the other went back and said, Apostle of God ! Omar hath

' slain my Companion.' He answered I should not have thought that Omar would dare to slay a true believer.' Then God revealed, ' and by thy Lord they will noi perfectly belieye,' &c. Thus the blood of the man was made lawful and Omar was absolved from the guilt of his death. To this tradition there is also concurrent testimony which I have adduced in the Tafsir u'l Musnad. 16th. " The asking permission to enter, and this was because his slave

' vrent in to him, while ha was sleeping, and he said, God ! forbid their

* The imputations against the conduct of Ayesha when she was accidentally left behind on the return march to Medina after the expedition againat the Banu Mustalik,

see Sale, p. 288^ —

[ 128 ]

entrance ;' and there'Vas revealed the verse regarding the asking permission (Kur. XXIV.)

17th. "His words concerning the Jews. ' Verily they are a people not seeing the right course.'*

18th. " The words of the Most High, ' And.there shall be many of the former and many of the latter.' (Kur. XXXVI) I note that Ibn A'sakir has recorded the story of this in his history, on the authority of Jabir-b- A'bdu'Uah and it is in the Asbab u'n Nuzul (Reasons of Revelation). 19th. " He adduced the citationf ' The man and woman of advanced years when they commit adultery,' &c.

20th. " On the day of Ohud, when Abu Sufyan called out, ' is there a certain one among the people ?' his saying, ' do. not answer him,' and the Apostle of God acted conformably to his counsel. I note that Ahmad has recorded this in his Musnad." As Shayhomi continues, " and there should be added to this, that which Othman-b-Sa'id a'd Darami in the work ' The Refutation of the Jahmiyah,'J has recorded from Salim-b-A'bd'illah, that Kaa'b al Ahbar said, ' woe unto the king of earth from the king of heaven ;' and Omar exclaimed, ' save unto him who calleth himself to account,' and Kaa'b replied ' by Him in whose hand is my life, verily it is in the Pentateuch thou hast indeed said according to it,' and Omar fell worshipping." I have also seen in the Kamil of Ibn A'di on the authority of Ibn Omar that Bilal used to call out, when he summoned to prayers, " I testify that there _is no God, but God—come ye to prayers," and Omar said to him, " say at the end of it, ' I testify that Muhammad is the Apostle of " God ;' and the Apostle of God said, ' say as Omar hath spoken.'

On Ms miracles.

Al Bayhaki and Abu Nua'ym have both of them recorded in the proofti of prophecy, and al Ldlakai in the commentary on the Tradition, and ad Dayr§ A'akuli in his observations, and Ibn al Aa'r4bi|| in the " Miracles

* This refers to Kur. II. j*^ ^S^^ '=**^ + A case of this kind was brought before Omar, and he directed them to be stoned, quoting^ at the same time this verse which was revealed but never written. It is not to be found in the KurAn, but retains all the authority of the written ordinances. % A sect of the l^adaris who deny absolute predestination. Tigris fifteen i Dayr u'l A'dktil is a town situated on the parasangs distant £pom Baghdad. The traditionist here alluded to is probably Yahya Abdu'l Karim-b-u'l Haytham who died in A. H. 278. Takii( M. B. Abu Abdu'llah Muhammad-b-Ziyad, a genealogist and philologar of the highest II " !

[ 129 ]

of the saints," and al Khatib in the Traditionists of Malik, on the authority of Ibn Omar, that he said, " Omar had despatohed an army at the head of which was a man called Sariyah, and while Omar was one day preaching

' !' this ar- he hegan to call out, Sdriyah ! the hill three times. After rived a messenger from the army, and Omar questioned him and he said, ' O prince of the faithful, we were being routed, and while we were thus, lo! " we heard a voice calling out, Sdiriyah ! the hill," three times, so we

stayed our backs against the hill, and the Lord put them to flight.' He — " adds ' they said to Omar, verily thou didst call out so." This hill near " to which Sariyah was, is by Nahawand in Persian Irak.' Ibn Mardawayh records from Ibn Omar that he said, " Omar was preaching on a Friday,

' when he uttered vague words in his discourse saying, O Sariyah ! the hill he who asketh of the wolf to keep guard, doth wrong :' and the people

looked one upon the other, and A'li said to them, ' let him explain what

he hath said.' And when he ceased, they asked of him, and he replied,

' we thought that the infidels had routed our brethren, who verily were

passing by a hill, and if they inclined towards it, they would have to fight

on one front only, and if they passed heyond it they would be destroyed ; then there went forth from me what ye thought ye heard.' He adds that a messenger arrived a month afterwards, .and said that they had heard

the voice of Omar on that day, and he .continued, ' we inclined towards :the hill and God gave us the victory.' Abu Nua'ym records in the "Proofs" from A'mr-b-u'l Harith* that he " ,aaid, while Omar was preaching on a Friday, lo ! he abruptly checked his

— !' discourse and exclaimed ' Sariyah ! the hill twice or three times, and then proceeded with his preaching, and some who were present exclaimed 'verily he raveth—surely he is mad.' Whereon A'bdu'r Ea^man-b- A'uf who had confidence in him, went to him and said— 'thou givest them

occasion to speak against thee, for whilst thou wert preaching, behold ! thou didst cry out " Sariyah, the hill!"—what meaneth this?' He

' replied, verily, by Allah, I could not restrain it ! I saw them fighting near a hill, and they were being attacked in their front and rear, and I " could not help exclaiming 0, Sariyah ! the hill," that they might gain

the hill.' And they tarried until the messenger of Sariyah arrived with his despatch, saying, " the enemy met us upon a Friday, and we fought them until, when the hour of congregating for prayer arrived, we heard

Ibn Khali. He was hom A. H. 160 reputation ; a list of his works is given by (767) and died at Sarraman-raa A. H. 231 (846). * A'mr-b-u'l Harith b-Abi Dhirar, a native of Kufah and a Companion. He was the brother of Juayriyah one of Muljammad's wives and of the Banu Mustali^. An Nawawi. 17 [ 130 ]

!' hill ' hill twice, and we gained the and one calling out Sariyah ! the and we continued to prevail over our enemy until the Lord defeated them said, ' leave this slew them." ' Then those that had reproached Omar, " man alone, for verily he is in collusion with him.' Abu'l giasim-b-Bishran in his Fawaid records on the authority of Ibn Omar, that Omar b-u'l Khattab said, to a man, "what is thy name?" He replied, " Jamrah" {a live coal). He said, " The son of whom ?" He answered, " the son of Shihab" {flame). He asked, "of what tribe?" he replied, " al Hurkah" IJieat). He said, "where is thy dwelling?" he answered, " at al Harrah" {warmth). He asked, " at which of them ?" He replied " of Dat Ladha" (filaeing). Then Omar said, " go to thy family for verily they have been burnt." And the man returned and found that his people had been burnt to death. Abu'l Shaykh records in the Kitab u'l A'dhamat {Booh ofgreatness) on the authority of Ifays-b-u'l Hajjdj, who had it from one who related it to him, that when Egypt was conquered, A'mr-b-u'l A'As arrived on a certain day of one of the Coptic months, and the Jieople said to him, " verily our Nile hath an observance without which it will not rise." He asked " and what is that ?" They said, " when eleven nights of this month* have elapsed, we seek a girl, a virgin, living with her parents, and we obtain the consent of her parents, and we robe her with garments and ornaments, the best that can be had,, and throw her into this Nile." And A'mr said to them—" this can never be in Islam for verily Islam destroyeth what preceded it." They therefore departed, and the Nile rose neither little nor much, so that they meditated leaving their country. And when A'mr saw that, he wrote to Omar-b-u'l Khattab concerning it, g.nd Omar replied to him, saying, " verily thou hast acted rightly in

what thou hast done, for verily, Isldm destroyeth what preceded it," and

he sent a slip of paper within his letter, and wrote to A'mr, saying, " verily, I have sent thee a slip of paper' within my letter, which cast into the Nile." And when the letter of Omar reached A'mr-b-u'l A' as, he took the

slip of paper and opened it, and behold, there was in it, " From the servant

of God, the Prince of the Faithful, to the Nile of Egypt—Now, if thou didst rise of thy own power, then rise not, but if the Lord caused thee to rise, then I implore the Lord, the One, the Conqueror, to make thee rise !" And he cast the slip of paper into the Nile, a day beforef the Festival of the Cross. And when they entered upon the next morning,

• Abu'l Mahaein determines this to be the Oopldo month of Bunah, that is, the Syrian month of Huzayr&ii or our June approximately. Nujum uz Zahirah. Abu'l Mahfisin has t fj^J vHS^-" "^ (ji ^ This date, according to the Calendars of the Eastern and Western Churches, is the 14th September. [ 131 ]

verily the Lord had caused it to rise sixteen, cubits in a single night ; thus the Lord put an end to this custom' among the people of Egypt up to this day. Ibn A'sdkir records on the authority of Tarik-b-Shihab* that he said, " if a man spoke with Omar in conversation and told him a falsehood, he would say, ' withhold this,' then as he continued the conversation, ho

would say, * withhold this also,' and the man would say to him, ' all that I said to thee was the truth, except what thou didst command me to with-

hold.' And from al Hasan that he said, ' if there was a man who knew a " falsehood when it was spoken, it was Omar-b-u'l Khattab.' Al Bayhaki records in the Proofs on the authority of Abu Hudbah al Him§i that he said, " Omar was informed that the people of Irak had pelted with stones their governor, and he wenj} forth in a violent anger and prayed, but was distracted in his prayers, and when he came to the

salutation, he said, ' God, verily they have put confusion upon me, therefore put thou confusion upon them, and place over them a youth of the Banu Thaklf who may rule over them after the manner of the rule of the time of Ignorance, not receiving with favour the beneficent among them, and not pardoning their evildoers.' "' I observe that he referred by this, to al Hajjaj. Ibn Lahia'hf says that at that time al Hajjaj was not born.

On some particulars of his character. '

Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of al Ahnaf-b-u'l KaysJ that he said, " we wefe seated at Omar's door, when there passed by a slave girl,

* Abu A'bdu'Uah, Tarik b-Shihab the Companion. He was bom before the risa of Islam, and fought in about thirty or forty expeditions under Abu Bakr and Omar. He was a native of Kufah and died there in A. H. 83. Ad. Nawawi. t Abu A'bdu'r Eahmau A'bda'llah-b-Lahia'h al Ghafiki, a native of Egypt was a narrator of traditions and historical narratives and pieces in prose and verse but of weak memory and of little repute. He was appointed Kadhi of Old Cairo by Abu Jaa'far al Manjur A. H. 155 (A. D. 772) and removed from ofSoe A. H.

164. He was the first !^adhi who made it his duty to be present when watch was kept for the new moon in Eamadhan but this custom was discontinued under the Fatimite dynasty and re-established by Salah ud Dm. He died at Old Cairo A. H. 174 (790) or some say A. H. 170, aged eighty-one. Ibn Khali. i Abu Bakr ad Dahhak-b-Kays (a different person from the one who fell at Marj Kahit) surnamed at Tamimi, was generally known as al Ahnaf or the Clubfoot. Hs was chief of his tribe and held high rank among the Xabi'is and possessed a great E 132 1 and tliey said, ' she is the concubine of the Prince of the Faithful.' And

Omar exclaimed, ' she is not a concubine of the Prince of the Faithful and is not lawful to him, verily she is the property of the Lord.'* Then we said, ' what then is lawful to him of the property of the Most High

God ?' He replied, ' verily, nothing is lawful to Omar of what belongeth to the Lord, but two garments, a garment for winter and a garment for summer, and what may enable him to perform the pilgrimage and the religious visitations, and my sustenance and that of my family is like unto that of a man of the Kuraysh, neither the richest nor the poorest of them. Beyond this I am but a man among the Muslims.' Khuzay- mah-b-Thabitt says, that when Omar appointed a ruler, be would write to him and make it conditional upon him, that he should not ride a palfrey, nor eat delicacies, nor clothe himself in fine garments, nor close his doors against the needy, for if he should do this, verily punishment would come upon him." A'krimah-b-Khalid and others narrate, that HafsahJ and

A'bdu'llah and some others expostalated with Omar and said, " if thou wert to eat good food, it would confirm thee in maintaining the truth:" he exclaimed, " are ye all of this opinion ?" They said, " yes." He replied, " I understand your counsel, but I have left my two Companions upon a road, and if I depart from their road, I shall not find them at the journey's end." He adds, " and a dearth fell upon the people, and he eat that year, neither butter nor fat." Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrates that U'kbah-b-Farkad spoke to Omar about his food, and he exclaimed, "fie on thee, 'shaU I eat of things during life in this world, seek . good my and enjoyment in them." Al Hasan states that Omar went in to his son A'asim who' was eating flesh meat, and he exclaimed, " what is this ?" He replied, " I had a great craving for it." Omar retorted, " dost thou eat everything thou hast i craving

for ? It would be sufficiently immoderate in a man that he should eat all that he desired." Aslam mentions that Omar said, " a craving for fresh " fish hath come upon me." He continues, whereon Yarfa§ mounted his

reputation for aouteness, learning and prudence. Hia influence was such, that, as Mu'iwiyah's sister said of him, if he were angered, he had one hundred thousand of the tribe of Tamim to share his anger without asking him the reason of it. He died at Kufah about A. H. 67- The notice of his life in Ibn Khali will repay perusal.

• /. e. The State Treasury, used for the benefit of all the Muslims. + Abu TJ'm&ah Khuzaymah-b-Thabit, was one of the Auxiliaries, and a native of Medina. Surnamed also Khatmah, from his once smiting a man on the nose (/th^) He fought al Badr and other battles, and was present with A'U at the fight of the Camel, and at SifFin whore he himself was killed A. H. 37. An Nawawi.

% His daughter (wife of Muljammad) : A'bdu'Uah was his son.

§ The frecdman of Omar. "

[ 133 ]

camel and rode four miles on and four miles back and purcliased a basket- ful of a miktal weight,* and brought it, and then betook himself to his camel and washed it down and repaired to Omar who said, ' come, that I may see the camel,' and he looked upon it and exclaimed, ' thou hast forgotten to cleanse this sweat that is under its ear. An animal hath been punished to serve the appetite of Omar—no, by Allah, Omar shall not taste of thy basket.' Katddah says, that Omar when he was Caliph, used to wear a garment of woollen stuff patched partly with leather, and would wander through the streets with a scourge over his shoulders with which he chastised the people, and passing by bits of rag and dates, he would gather them up and throw them into the houses of people, that they might make use of them. Anas says, " I saw between the shoulders of Omar, four patches in his shirt." And Abu Othman an Nahdi, " I saw upon Omar a nether garment patched with leather." And A'bdu'llah-b-A'amir-b-Eabii'h,t " I made the pilgrimage with Omar, and he erected neither a tent of goat's hair, nor one of wool—he would throw his cloak, and mat of dressed skin upon a bush and seek shelter beneath it." And A'bdu'llah-b-Isa, " upon the face of Omar were two dark furrows worn from weeping." And al Hasan, " Omar would come to a verse of the Kuran of his daily recitation, and would fall down in a faint so that it would be some days before he recovered." And Anas, " I entered an enclosure and I heard Omar say—and between me and between him there was a wall"—" Omar, son of al Khattab, Prince of the

Faithful ! good ! by Allah, thou must fear God, son of al Khattab, or He will surely punish thee !" And A'bdu'llah-b-Aamir-b-Eabii'h, " I saw Omar take up a straw from the ground, and he said, ' would that I were

this straw ! O ! would that I were nothing ! would that my mother had not borne me !' " And U'baydu'Uah-b-Omar-b-Hafs, " Omar-b-u'l Khattab carried upon his neck a —skin of water, and people expostulated with him regarding it, and he said ' my spirit made me vain, and I wished to abase it.' And Muhammad-b-Sirin, a kinsman of Omar's went to him and besought him to make him a grant from the public treasury, but Omar

reproved him and said, ' dost thou wish that I should meet God a faith-

less, prince ?' and he bestowed upon him ten thousand dirhams from his own property." And an Nakha'i, " Omar used to carry on trade while he was Caliph." And Anas, " the stomach of Omar used to rumble from eating

* About 80 lbs. t Descended from A'nz the son of "Wail and a confederate of al Khattab the father of Omar. He was born four years before Muhammad's death, and his father

was a Companion of note, ' He died A. H. 85. An Nawawi. [ 134 ]

oli^re oil in the year of destruction,* and verilj he had forbidden himself the use of butter, and he tapped his stomach with his finger and said

' verily there is nothing else for us but that, until the people have the

means of living.' And Sufyan-b-U'aynah narrates that Omar said, ' the most beloved of men to me, is he who discovers to me my faults.' Aslam

says, ' I saw Omar the son of al Khattab take a horse by the ear, and with^ the other hand holding his own ear, leap upon the back of the horse.'

And Ibn Omar, ' I never saw Omar, in a passion, but he restrained himself from what he sought to do when God was mentioned to him or the fear of God put into him, or a man read him a verse of the Kuran.' Bilal

said to Aslam, ' what do you think of Omar ?' He replied, ' he is the

best of men, but when he is angry, it is a fearful thing,' and Eilal said,

' if thou art by him when he is angry; thou hast but to read the Kuran to him until his ^anger departs.' Al Ahwas-b-Hakim narrates on the authority of his father, that some flesh-meat was brought to Omar dressed

with butter, but he refused to eat them and said ' they are both delica-

cies.' Ibn Saa'd gives all these details and records on the authority of

al Hasan that Omar said, ' The simple way by which I govern the people- " is that I frequently change their rulers.'

On Ms appearance.

Ibn Saa'd and al Hakim record on the authority of Zirr.f that ha said, " I went forth with the people of Medina on a festival day, and I

saw Omar walking barefoot ; he was advanced in years, bald, of a tawny colour—a left-handed man, tall and towering over the people." Al Wakidi observes, " it was not known to us that Omar was tawny coloured, unless it was that Zirr saw him in the year of destruction, when verily, his colour might have altered while he eat olive oil." Ibn Saa'd states on the authority of Ibn Omar that the latter was describing Omar and said, " he was a man fair of complexion, a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, bald and grey." And from U'bayd-b-U'mayr " Omar used to overtop the people in height." " And from Salimah-b-u'l Akwaa', Omar was ambidexter, that is, that he could use both his hands equally well."

* The 17th year of the Flight in which men and cattle perished in great numhera.

The word comes from ^Ujj ashes ; —heing thus called, hecause the earth became like ashes by reason of the drought. Lane. t Probably Abu Miriam Zirr, Hubaysh-b-Hubdsa, a member of the tribo of Asad and a native of Kufah. Ho was a great master in the art of reading the i^urdu and celebrated as a philologiSr. Ho died at a very advanced age A. H, 82 (A. D 701). Do Slano, I. K. [ 135 ]

Ibn A'sakir records from Abu Eaja al U'taridi that he said, " Omar was a man, tall, stout, very bald, very ruddy, with scanty hair on the cheeks, his moustache large, and the ends of it reddish." In the history of Ibn A'sdkir, it is recorded with various ascriptions, that the mother of Omar-b-u'l Khattab, was Hantamah, the daughter of Hisham b-u'l Mu-

ghirah, and sister of Abu Jahl-b-Hisham ; thus Abu Jahl was his maternal uncle.

On. Ms OalipTiate.

He assumed the Caliphate according to the bequest of Abu Bakr in A. H. 13. Juraada'l Akhirah, the thirteenth year of the Plight. Az Zuhri says that A. D. 634. Omar was elected to the Vicegerency on the day of the death of Abu Bakr and that was on Tuesday, the 22nd. of Jumada'l Akhirah, (recorded by al Hdkim). He directed the government with the most complete success and victories were numerous during his time. In the year 14 A. H. Damascus was taken, partly by convention, partly by force : Emessa and Baa'lbek* by convention, and Basrah and UbuUah, both by force. In the same year, Omar assembled the people for the prayers called at Tarawiht (al A'skari in the Awail). In the year 15 A. H. the whole of the country of the Jordan was subdued by force of arms, save Tiberias which was taken by convention ; and in the same, occurred the battles of Yermuk J and Kadisiyyah. (Ibn Jarir.) During the same Saa'd§ founded Kdfah, and Omar established stipends for the soldiers and instituted the registers, and assigned allowances according priority merit. to of || In the year 16 A. H. al Ahwaz was taken and al Maddin, and in the latter, Saa'd held the Friday prayers in the hall of Khusrau, and this was the first congregation assembled in Irak, and that was in the month of Safar. In the same year was the battle of Jalula^ in which Tezdajird grandson of Khusrau was defeated and fled to Eai ; Takrit was captured and

• According to Taktit, the pronunciation of this is »-*^"^—Ba'lubakka. t See ETote, p. 21. % Hieromax, a stream formed by the springs of Mount Hermon, which loses itself in the Jordan below the lake of Tiberias.

§ Ibn Abi Wakkas. See an Nawawi. Art. Omar. II H A river that flows through Ba'kuba, and where the Persians were defeated with great slaughter, no less than a hundred thousand it is said, having fallen. The river

took its name of Jallila, says Yakut, from the excessive \ (JU.) number of the slain. [ 136 ]

Omar marched and took Jerusalem, and preached at al Jabiyah* his famous discourse. And in the same Kinnasrin was taken by force of arms, and Aleppo and Antioch, and Manbij by treaty andSanij by force, and Kirkisiyah by treaty. In the month of Kabii' u'l Awwal, the Era of the Flight was adopted by the advice of A'li. A. D. 638. In the year 17 A. H. Omar ejoJairged the mosque of the prophet, and A. H. 17. a famine occurred in Hijaz and it was called the year of destruction and Omar through the merits of A'bbas prayed for rain for the people. Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Niyar al Aslami, that when Omar went forth to pray for rain he appeared with the mantle of the Apostle of God upon him. And from Ibn A'unf that he said, " Omar took the hand of

' Abbds, and lifted it up and said, God ! I implore Thee by the uncle of Thy prophet, that Thou wilt cause this drought to pass away from us, and

send down rain upon us ;' and they did not quit the place till it rained, and the heavens poured down rain upon them for days." During the same year al Ahwaz was taken by treaty. In the year 18 A. H., Jundaysabdr was occupied by convention, and

Hulwan by force. A pestilence also occurred at Emaus ; Edessa and Sumay- sat were taken by force, and Harran and Nagibin and a part of Mesopota-

mia by force (though some say by convention), and Mosal and its adjacent districts. In the year 19 A, H., CsesareaJ was overpowered. In the year 20 A. H. Egypt was conquered by force of arms, though it is also said, that with the exception of Alexandria which was taken, the whole of Egypt surrendered under convention. Ali-b-Eab4h says that the whole of Mauritania

was won by force of arms,§ : Tustar|| was also taken possession of. In the same died the Eoman Emperor {Seraclius), and Omar expelled the Jews from Khaybar and Najran and apportioned Khaybar and Wadi u'l Elura among those who had been present at the eacpedition.''^ In the year 21 A. H. Alexandria was taken by storm, and Nahdwand, and after this the Persians unable were to muster an army : also Barkah and other places.

* In the province of Jaydlir in Palestine—Omar's discourse will be found in the Futuhu's Shiim of al Azdi, p. 227. t The freedman of MiBwar-t-Makhramah, the Companion. J This word in the original should be spelt with a (j° instead of a jj» § Gibhon places the complete conquest seven years later under Othmto, the conduct of the invasion being entrusted to the foster-brother of the Caliph, A'bdu'Uah-b-Saa'd, the amanuensis of Muhammad. The present II Shiister in EJiuzistSn. Ya^tit. f "Wadi u'l '^\sxB. is between Tayma and Khaybar. The expedition directed by

Muhammad took_place A. H. 7. For the apportionment of the lands, my authority is Yalfut. [ 137 ]

In the year 22 A. II. jALdarbijdn was subdued by force, others say A. H. 22. surrendered under convention, and Dinaur, Masabddn, and Hamaddn cap- A. D. 642-3. tured, and Tripoli in Morocco and Eai and A'skar and Kumas. In the year 23 A. H. took place the conquest of Kirman, Sajistdn, and Makrdn of the mountainous districts, and Ispahan and its dependencies. Towards the close of the year occurred the death of our prince Omarj after his return from the pilgrimage, he being martyred. Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab says that when Omar returned from Mina,* he made his camel kneel in the watercourse and throwing himself backwards, lifted up his hands to heaven, and exclaimed, "O God ! I am advanced in years and my strength has failed, and my zeal dissipated ; take me therefore to thyself while as yet I have not fallen short of my duty nor exceeded due bounds ;" and the month of Du'l Hijjah did not elapse before he was slain, (al Hakim) (3rd November 6di4). Abu Salih as Sammanf narrates that Kaa'b u'l Ahbar said to Omar, " I find in the Pentateuch that thou wilt be martyred." He replied, " how can martyrdom be mine, I being in the land of Arabia ?" And Aslam, that . Omar said, " God, give me for my portion, martyrdom in thy cause, and grant that my death may be in the city of Thy Apostle," (al Bukhari). Maa'dan-b-Abi Talhah narrates that Omar preached and said, " I beheld a vision as if a fowl had struck me with its beak one or two blows, and verily I see in it but my approaching death. And verily there are some enjoin to name a successor, who me and indeed the Lord will not neglect J His faith and His Vicegerency, but if anything overtake me, then the Vicegerency is to be determined by consultation among those six with whom the Apostle of God, when he died, approved"- (al Hakim). Az Zuhri states that Omar used not to suffer a captive who had reached the age of puberty, to enter Medina, but al Mughirah-b-Shuu'bah, being in Kufah, wrote to him and mentioned to him that he had with him, a youth, a cunning workman, and asked his permission that he might enter Medina, and added that he was a master of several trades profitable to the people, for he was a blacksmith, an engraver and a carpenter. Omar therefore gave him permission to send him to Medina, and al Mughirah put a tax§ upon him of one hundred dirhams a month. He, however, went to Omar

* The return from Mina to Mecca during the ceremonies of the pilgrimage, ia called an Nafr or the Flight. t Abu Salih as Samman named also Dhakwan and sumamed az Zaiyat, was a Mawla of the tribe of Ghatfan and an eminent Traditionist, died at Medina A. H. 101 (719-20). De Slane, I. K.

X Compare Kur. II, aSCJI+jI fA/iJ;.' i^\ ^Ji l-oj

§ That is, that ho was to pay that sum to his master from his earnings. 18 [ 138 1

A. H. 23. and complained of the severity of the tax, hut Omar replied that the tax

A. D. 643. was not excessive ; he, therefore, departed indignantly murmuring. Omar waited some days and then sent for him and said, " was not I informed that thou sayest, that if thou wouldst thou art able to make a mill that will grind by means of the wind ?" He looked upon Omar sullenly and said, " verily I will make a mill for thee that men shall talk about," : when he retired, Omar said to those that were about him, " the slave but now threatened me." After a little, Abu Lliliiah* took a double-bladed dagger,

having its haft in the middle, and hid in a corner of one of the^recesses of the mosque before day-break, and remained there until Omar came forth rousing the people to prayers, and when he drew near him, he stabbed him with three blows. (Ibn Saa'd.) A'mr-b-Maymdn the Auxiliary narrates, that Abu Luliiah, the slave of al Mughirah, struck Omar with his double- bladed dagger, and wounded together with him twelve men, of whom six died, and a man of Irak threw a garment over him, and when he was

suffocating in it, he slew himself. Abu Eafi',t states, that Abu LuMah the slave of al Mughirah, used to make miUs, and al Mughirah tasked him daily with an impost of four dirhams, and he met Omar and said, " O Prince of the Faithful, verily al Mughirah hath been hard upon me, therefore speak to him;" and he answered, "act well towards thy master,"

and it was the intention of Omar to speak to al Mughirah regarding it.

But the other grew angry and said, " the justice of Omar is extended unto all the people, save unto me." He therefore purposed his death, and

took a dagger and sharpened it and poisoned it, and while Omar was exclaiming, " get ye into your ranks, before the takbir is said," the slave went and stood over against Omar in the rank and smote him in the shoulder and in the side, and Omar fell, and he wounded thirteen men with him, of whom six died. Omar was carried to his family, and the sun being about to rise, A'bdu'r Kahman-b-A'uf read prayers before the people from the two shortest Suras. They brought Omar date-wine, and he drank of it and it came out of his wound, but it could not be distinguished ^rgm ike blood; they therefore gave him milk, and it came out of his wound, and they said, " there is no harm to thee" and he answered, " if there be harmj in being slain, why then I am slain." The people then began to

* The slave's name.

t There are several of this name. The one referred to is prohahly the freedman of Muhammad. He had heen given by A'bbds to Muhammad who gave him his liberty on hearing of the conversion of A'bbas. Some say he died before Othman's murder, others, during the Caliphate of A'li. Ibn Hajr and an Nawawi. t In other narrations given in the Kitab u'l Iktifa on the authority of A'mr-b- Mayytin the outflow of the milk from the wound, was decisive in regard to the woimd being mortal. The physician who was called' in, told him he could not live till the

evening. > [ 139 ]

praise him, saying, " tliou wert such and such," but lie said " yet, by Allah, A. H. 23. I would that I might escape from judgment with these as a sufficiency,* A. D. 643. nothing due by me nor to me, and that the Companionship of the Apostle of God were a security unto me." Then Ibn A'bbas praised him, but be said—" if the fulness of the earth in gold were mine, assuredly I would ransom myself therewith from the terror of the day of resurrection,t and

verily, I have made ihe election to. the Oaliphate to be determined in consultation by Othman, A'li, Talhah, az Zubayr, A'bd'ur Eahman-b-A'uf, and Saa'd." And he commanded Suhayb to pray before the people, and ap-

pointed for the six a term of three daysJ wherein to deliberate (al Hakim). Ibn A'bbas says that Abu Lultiah was a Magian. A'mr-b Maymdn narrates that Omar said, " praise be to God, that he hath not caused my death by the hand of a man who professeth Isldm." Then he said to his son, " A'bdu'Uah, see what debts I owe ;'' and they computed and found them

to be eighty-six thousand Mrhams, or about that. And he said, " if the property of the family of Omar be sufficient, then pay it from their goods, otherwise ask of the Banu A'di, and if their goods be not sufficient, then ask of the Kuraysh. Go to Ayesha, the Mother of the Faithful, and say,

' Omar asketh leave -that he may be buried with his two Companions.' And A'bdullah went to her and she said, ' I wished it (meaning the place) for myself, but now I shall assuredly give him the preference over myself.' And A'bduUah went hack and said, ' verily she hath given permis-

sion ;' then Omar praised the Most High God. They said also to him "make a testament, prince of the Faithful, and appoint a successor." He answered, " I do not see any one more entitled to this authority than those men with whom the Apostle of God, when he died, was content," and he named the six. He added, " let A'bdu'Uah the son of Omar be present with them, but he must have no part in the affair, and if the

* IjlflS" iy(^ i.iJ'i lii| CDiiJ J This is the reading of the same tradition on the same authority, in the Kitab u'l Iktifa. The ^Ji referring to the praises which were being made of him. ) »ih^\ lit. " the place whence one will look down on the day of resurrection,

but it may be taken as a noun of time and applied to the day of judgment, see Lane art. ^U,.

X This is made clear from the Kitab u'l Iktifa, in two traditions from Simak-b- Harb and Anas respectively. Omar ordered the father of Talhah to take fifty men and post themselves at the door of the house where the six were to deliberate, and to suffer no one to enter, nor the third day to elapse without the election being concluded. According to the former tradition, the Ansars were directed to confine the six for three days in a house, and if by that time their deliberations were not satisfactorily concluded, they were to enter and slay them. An effectual method of quickening the most hesitating judgment. [ 140 ]

A. H. 23. government fall to Saa'd, then let him be the man, but if not, then let

•A. D-. 643, whichever of ye be" named to rule, seek his assistance, for verily I did not remove him either for incapacity or treachery."* He went on to say, " I commend to the Caliph after me, the fear of God, and I commend to him the Fugitives and the Auxiliaries, and I commend to him the welfare of the people of the provinces," with other similar charges. And when he died, we went forth with him at a foot-pace and A'bdu'Uah the son of Omar, saluted and said, " Omar desireth permission," and Ayesha replied " bring him in ;" and he was taken in and placed there with his Compa- nions. When his burial was over, and they had returned, those of the Council assembled, and A'bdu'r Kahman-b-A'uf said, "delegate your authority unto three among you." Then az Zubayr said, " I give my authority to A'li," and Saa'd said, " I give my authority to A'bdu'r Rahman," and Talhah said, " I give my authority to Othman." The narrator continues,

" then those three went apart and A'bdu'r Rahman said, ' I do not desire it' —now which of you two will be quit of this affair ? and we will put it to him (and God be his witness and Islam) to consider the best among the Muslims in his own judgment, and to strive for the welfare of the people."

Then the two Shaykhs A'li and Othman were silent, whereon A'bdu'r Rahmdn said, " give the choice unto me, and the Lord be my witness, I shall not fail ye in choosing the best of ye." The two agreed and he retired apart with A'li and said, " thou hast the priority in Islam and kinship with the Apostle of God as thou well knowest, the Lord be thy

witness, that if I give thee the authority, thou vrilt do justice, and if I put another over thee, thou wilt hear and obey !" He said, " yes." Then he retired apart vrith the other and said the same to him, and when he received their promises, he swore allegiance to Othman, and A'U likewise swore Mm allegiance. It is recorded in the Musnad of Ahmad on the authority of Omar that he said, " if my death overtake me, and Abu U'baydah be yet alive, I appoint him my successor, and if my Lord enquireth of me, I shall answer that I heard the Apostle of God say, 'every prophet hath one

in whom he confides, and my trusted one is Abu U'baydah the son of al Jarrdh ; but if my death overtake me and Abu U'baydah be dead, I appoint as successor Mu'adL the son of Jabal, and if my Lord enquire of me why I appointed him, I shall answer that I heard the Apostle of God say that he

* The people of Kdfah complained to the Caliph against Saa'd, on acoovint of his injustice and oppression, and his unorthodox manner of reading prayers, and Chnar removed him from his government and appointed in his place A'mm&r-h-Y4sir. Ibn Athir. OoUey asorilnes the removal of Saa'd to Othm&, in the 35th yew of the Flight. [ 141 ]

would be raised up on the day of resurrection in front of the doctors of A. H. 23.

science, a little apart."* However they both died during bis Caliphate. A. D. C43. In the same Musnad it is stated on the authority of Abu Eafi', that Omar when dying was spoken to regarding the appointment of a successor, and he said, " verily, I have seen among my Companions an evil covetousness, and if one of two men were attainable to me, and I could make over this authority to him, I would trust him, viz., Salimf the freedman of Abu Hudayfab, and Abu TJ'baydah-b-u'l Jarrab." Omar was stabbed on Wednesday the 26th of Du'l Hijjah and was buried on Sunday the first of the Sacred month of Muharram being sixty- three years old—some say he was sixty-six, and some sixty-one, and others sixty, which al Wakidi prefers. Again, according to some, he was fifty- nine, and to others, fifty-five or fifty-four. Subayb prayed over him in the mosque. According to the Tahdib of al Muzani,J the impression on the signet ring of Omar was " Death is a sufficient admonisher." At Tabarani records on the authority of Tdrik-b-Shibab, that Umm Ayman said on the day that Omar was slain, " Islam is to-day rent." And from A'bdu'r Ealiman-b-Yasar,§ " I witnessed the death of Omar and the sun was eclipsed on that day." (His authorities are trustworthy.)

On the things in which he was foremost.

Al A'skari says that he was the first who was called Prince of the

Faithful, and the first who adopted the Era of the Flight, and the first

who establis-hed a public treasury, and the first who instituted the prayers

{at TardwiK) of the month of Kamadhan, and the first who went the

rounds at night, and the first who punished lampooning, and the first who

gave eighty stripes for indulgence in wine, and the first who prohibited marriage limited to a term, and the first who forbade the sale of female

* Acoording to an Nawawi the tradition makes the distance a bow shot, tpl^ A^a-*! *Ul«J| (i^AJ iyj fyi i'**

t Salim was slain at Tam&mah. See, note §, p. 98. J Abu Ibrahim Isma'fl'-b-Tahya al Muzani, was a disciple of the Imam as Shafi'i and a native of Egypt. He was of most austere life, a Mujtahid, and a profound thinker. He was the author of many works, the most celebrated being the Mukhta§aru'l Mukhta?ar (Abridgement abridged) a treatise on the legal doctrines of the Shdfiites. He died at Mi?r A. H. 264 (878). Muzani signifies belonging to Muzayna a well-known tribe named after Muzayna, daughter of Kalb. Ibn KhaU.

§ The MS. has Busbar, the printed edition. " Yas&r" with (Bushdr) in brackets. I can find no notice of the individual alluded to, in any works to which I have access. [ 143 ]

A. H. 23. slaves who had borne children to their masters, and the first who assembled

A. D. 643. the people .to prayers over the dead with four Takbirs, and the first who instituted the public register, and the first who made conquests, and made a survey o£ the Sawad,* and the first who brought corn from Egypt by the bay of Aylah (Akaba) to Medina, and the first who constituted the poor-rate in Islam to be used unaliehably for the service of God, and the first who adopted the deviation by excess in the division

of inheritances,t and the first who instituted the dedication of horses for religious service, and the first who said, " may God lengthen thy life," (he " said it to A'li) ; and the first who said, may God strengthen thee," (he

said it to A'li). This is the end of al A'skari's narration. An Nawawi mentions in his Tahdfb, that he was the first who adopted the use of the scourge. Ibn Saa'd states this in his Tabakat, and adds

that it used to be said afterwards " verily the scourge of Omar is more terrible than your swords." He continues, " he was the first who established Kddhis in the provinces, and the first who founded the cities of Basrah and Klifah, and placed in a flowrishing condition Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt and Mosal." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Ism&'il-b-Ziyad, that he said, that A'li, passing by the mosques in the month of Ramadhan in which lamps were burning, exclaimed, " may the Lord illumine Omar in his grave as he hath illumined for us our mosques." Ibn Saa'd says that Omar established raeal-houses, and placed within them flour and parched barley-meal, and dates and currants, and what might be necessary to aid the disabled traveller, and he stored along the road between Mecca and Medina, what would relieve those unable to continue their journey. He likewise demolished the mosque of the prophet and increased and enlarged it and floored it with pebbles. It was he who expelled the Jews from Hijaz to Syria, and transferred the people of Najrdn to K6fah. He also put back the praying station of Abraham, to the place

where it now stands, it having before adjoined the Temple.

* The paiticularsof this survey will be found in Yakut ait. i^y^.

t For the explanation of the term ^y^ I must refer the reader to the Muham- madan Law of Inheritance, as it is too lengthy to transcribe here. Cousult also Lane art. {jjc [ 143 ]

On some accounts of Mm and Ms decisions.

Al A'skari records in the Awail, and al Tabarani in the Kabir, and al A. H. 23. Hdkim on the ascription of Ibn Shihab that Omar-b-A'bdil A'ziz inquired A. D. 643. of Abu Bakr-b-Sulaymdn b-Abi Hathmah, saying, " how was it in the time of Abu Bakr that it used to be written, ' From the Vicegerent of the

Apostle of God,' and afterwards Omar used at first to write ' From the Vicegerent of Abu Bakr ?' Who then first wrote, from the prince of the Faithful?" He answered, "as Shifa who was one of the Fugitive women, told me that Abu Bakr used to write, ' From the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God,' and Omar used to write, ' From the Vicegerent of the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God,' until Omar wrote to the prefect of Irak to send him two sturdy men, whom he might question regarding Irak and the people thereof; and he sent him Labid-b-Eabii'h and A'di-b-Hatim. They arrived at Medina and entered the mosque, and found A'mr-b-u'l

A'as, and they said, ' ask permission for us to see the prince of the Faith- ful.' A'mr replied, ' by AUah, ye have hit his name.' And A'mr went in to him and exclaimed, ' peace be to thee prince of the Faithful.' He said ' how hast thou come by this name ? verily thou must explain what thou hast said.' Then the other informed him of what had happened and said 'thou art the prince and we, the Faithful.' Thus the letters have continued to be so inscribed up to this day." An Nawawi in his Tahdib says that A'di-b-Hatim, and Labid-b- Babii'h, called him by that name when they went to him from Irak, and some say, that al Mughirah-b-Shuu'bah called him by it. Again it is asserted that Omar said to the people, " you are the Faithful, and I am your prince ;" he was therefore called prince of the Faithful, and before that he was addressed as Vicegerent of the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, but they gave up that phrase on account of its length. Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Mu'awiyah-b-Kurrah that he said, " it used to be written, ' From Abu Bakr, Vicegerent of the Apostle of God,' and when Omar-b-u'l Khattab ruled, they wished to address him Vicegerent of the Vicegerent of the Apostle of God, but Omar said, ' this is too long.'

They answered, ' not so, but we have made thee to rule over us and thou art our prince.' He said, ' yea—ye are the Faithful and I am your prince.' Thus it came to be written, Pyince of the Faithful." Al Bukhari records in his history on the authority of Ibn u'l Mu- sayyab that the first who adopted the usage of dating was Omar-b-u'l Khattab two years and a half after his accession to the Caliphate, and he dated from the 16th year of the Flight, by the advice of A'li. As Silafi in the Tuyyuriyat records from Ibn Omar, that Omar wished to write [ 144 ]

A. H. 23. a record of memorable actions, and he prayed for the blessing of God for A. D. 643. a month, and he arose one morning determined upon it, but after a little he said, " verily I remember a people* who were before ye, who used to write books, and they gave themselves up to it, and neglected the Book of God." And Ibn Saa'd from Shaddad,t that the first sentence that Omar uttered when he ascended the pulpit, was, " God, verily I am rough in temper, therefore soften me, and verily I am weak, therefore strengthen me, and verily I am avaricious, therefore make me generous." And Ibn Saa'd and Sa'id-b-Manslir and others from Omar, that he said, " I place myself with regard to the property of the Lord, in the position of a guardian of an orphan's property. If I am in good circumstances, I refrain

from touching it, and if I am in distress, I take of it with moderation, and when I am again in good circumstances, I repay it." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Ibn Omar that Omar-b-u'l Khattab, when he was in need, would go to the Superintendent of the public treasury, and ask a loan of him, and he was often in distress, and the Superintendent of the treasury would go to him to exact the debt and press him, and Omar would be evasive with him, but sometimes his stipend would be due, and he would pay the debt. And from Ibn u'l Bara-b- Ma'rlir,J that Omar went forth one day, and complained of a sickness, and honey was recommended to him, and he was told that a bottle of it

was in the public treasury, and he said, " if ye permit me, I will take it, otherwise it is unlawful for me," and they gave him permission. And from Salim-b-A'bdi'llah, that Omar would put his hand into the saddle gall of his camel and say, " verily I fear lest I may be brought to account for what hath befallen thee." And from Ibn Omar, that when Omar desired to hinder the people from anything, he would go to his family and say, " verily I know not any one who hath done a thing which I have forbidden, but I doubled his punishment." It has been related to me from another source, that Omar went forth one night wandering about Medina, as he was frequently in the habit of

* He refers to the Jews and Christians. t Shaddad-h-Aus the Companion. He helonged to the tribe of the Najjar, and was a native of Medina, but he lived much at Jerusalem and died there A. H. 58, aged 75. His tomb, says an Nawawi, " is still to be seen outside the Gate of Mercy," one of the twenty gates of the great Masjid.

X Bishr-b-u'l Bara-b-Ma'rlir the Companion, an Ansdr of the tribe of Ehazraj He was present at Akabah, Badr and Ohud and died at Khaybar from eating of the sheep of which Muhammad partook and which the Jews are said to have poisoned, Some say he died at once, others after great suffering. An Nawawi. !

[ 145 ]

^- H. 23. doing, when lie passed by the house of one of the women of the Arabs °*^' whose door was bolted upon her, and she was saying, ^- "

This night whose stars wander in their nightly journey, is wearisome And keeps me sleepless, for I have none with whom I may be merry. And, by Allah, were there no God whose issues were to be feared

But I fear a Watcher, who keepeth ward :

Over our souls, and whose recorder never is negligent.

The fear of the Lord and shame hindereth me : And my husband, too worthy of honor that his place should be taken.

He therefore wrote to his prefects in the field that no one should be . detained on military service against the enemy for more than four months. Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Salman that Omar said to him, " am I a monarch or a Caliph ?" and Salman answered him, " if thou tax the land of the Muslims in dirhams, less or more, and putteth them to unlawful use, thou art a monarch and not a Caliph," and Omar took warning by it. And from Sufyan-b-Abi'l A'rja, that Omar said, "by Allah, I know not whether I am a Caliph or a monarch, if I be a monarch, it is a terrible thing." A speaker said to him, " prince of the Faithful, there is a difference between the two." He said, "what is it?" He replied, " a Caliph doth not take save lawfully, nor give save where it is due, and thou, thanks be to God, art such, but a monarch oppresseth the people, and taketh from this and giveth to that :". and Omar was silent. And ' from Ibn Masaiid that Omar was riding a horse, and his garment fell back from his thigh, and the people of Najran saw upon his thigh a dark mole and they said, " this is he whom we find in our books that he is to turn us forth from our land." And from Saa'd al Jari that Kaa'b al Ahbar said to Omar, " I find thee verily in^ the Book of God, posted at one of the gates of hell, hindering the people from falling into it, and when thou diest, they will continue to rush headlong, into it, till the day of judgment." And from Abu Maa'shar, that he narrates, " my Shaykhs told me that Omar said, ' this authority cannot be rightly conducted except by " severity without haughtiness and leniency without weakness.' Ibn Abi Shaybah records in the Musannaf on the authority of Hakam- b-TJ'mayr,* that Omar wrote, " now, let not the Commanders of armies and divisions inflict upon any one the scourging ordained by law until he arriveth at Darbf, lest rage inspired ly Satan induce him to desert to the

* Hakam-'b-H'mayr al Thamali, Thamalah is a branch of tlie tribe of Azd Ibn Hajr has little to say of bim but that he was present at Badi and that his traditions are not to be relied upon. t The ancient Derbe near the Cilioian gates, the chief mountainous pass from the direction of the countries occupied by the Arabs into the Greek Empire. Lane. 19 t 146 1

4- H. 23. infidels." Ibn Abi Hatim records in his Commentary on the authority of " A. D. 643. as Shaa'bi, that the Roman Emperor wrote to Omar saying, verily my messengers who come to me from thee, pretend that thou hast with thee a tree, which in its nature has none of the qualities of a tree. It sproijteth like asses' ears, then it openeth put like a pearl, then it becometh green like the green emerald, then it turneth ruddy and becometh like a red ruby, next it ripeneth and cometh to maturity, and turneth. into the most delicious honey-cake that is eaten. Next it drieth up and becom,eth the preservation of the dweller in his house, and a store for

the traveller ; now if my messengers have spoken truly then I cannot think this tree to be other than one of the trees of paradise." Whereupon Omar wrote to him, saying, " From the servant of God, the prince of the Faithful, to Caesar the Eoman Emperor—verily thy messengers have spoken truly. This tree which we possess, is the same which the Lord caused to sprout* for Mary when she bore Jesus her Son. Therefore fear God and

assume not Jesus to be God, besides God, for, ' verily the likeness of Jesus

in the sight of God is as the likeness of Adam : He created him out of the dust,' " &c., (Kur. III). Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Ibn Omar that Omar issued an order to his prefects, among them being Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkas, and in accordance therewith they wrote the amount of the property in their possession and Omar shared their property with them, and took half and gave them half. And from as Shaa'bi, that Omar when he employed a prefect wrote down the amount of his property. And from Abu Imamah-b-Sahl-b- Hunayft that he said, " Omar remained some time without supporting himself from the public treasury until poverty thus came upon him, and he sent to the Companions of the Apostle of God and took counsel of them and said,

' verily I have diligently employed myself in this authority, what therefore

do I deserve from it ?' And A'li said, ' morning and evening food,' and Omar accordingly took that." And from Ibn Omar, that Omar ma,de the pilgrimage and spent during his pilgrimage sixteen dinars, and he said to Ms son " O A'bdu'Uah, I have been wasteful of this money." A'bdu'r EazzakJ records in his Musannaf on the authority of Katadah and as Shaa'bi, that a woman went to Omar and said, " my husband rises

* This was a certain palm tree which the Muhammadan tradition supposes Mary to have leaned upon for support, and though a withered trunk, it put forth leaves and fruit'that she might gather and eat, Kur. XIX. The stupidity of the Eoman and the effrontery of the Arah are only to he matched hy the mendacity of the narrator. t One of the Companions helonging to the AnsSrs. t Prohahly A'hdu'r Eazzak as Sandni one of the most celebrated traditionists of his age. People travelled to Yaman from all parts to hear him. Died A. H. 211 (826-7). De Slane, I. K. —

[ 147 ]

in tbe night to pray and fasts all day," and Omar said " verily thou hast A. H. 23. praised thy husband highly." Whereon Kaa'b-b-Siwar exclaimed, " but A. D. 643; slie complains of him !" And Omar said, " how ?" He replied, " she means that she has not her share of her husband's society." He answered, " then if thou thinkest that, judge between them." He said, " prince of the Faithful, the Lord hath permitted to him four wiyes, and to her of every four days, one day, and of every four nights one night." And from Ibn Jurayh* that he said, " one whom I can believe, told me that while Omar was wandering about Medina, he heard a woman say

' The night is wearisome and its bounds gloomy And it hath kept me sleepless while I have no friend with whom to be merry.

!' And were there no fear of God whose like there is not

And Omar exclaimed, ' what is the matter with thee ?' She replied, ' thou hast sent my husband on service for some months, and I pine for

him.' He said, ' dost thou desire to do evil ?' She replied, ' God forbid !'

Then he said, ' restrain thyself, for verily, a messenger shall go to him,' and he sent for him, and wrote that the troops should not be kept on service for more than four months." And from Jabir-b-A'bdi'Uah that he went to Omar complaining to him of the treatment he had met with from his women, and Omar said " verily, I find the same, so much so that when I ask for anything I want, my wife says to me, ' thou goest only after the girls of a certain tribe, watching for them.' Thereupon A'bdu'Uah-b-

Musa'dd said to him, ' hast thou not heard that Abraham, upon whom be peace, complained to the Lord of the temper of Sarah, and it was said to him verily she was made from a rib,t therefore put up with what she does as long as thou seest no unsoundness in her faith.' And from A'krimah b-Khalid, that a son of Omar's went to him, and he had anointed and comb- ed his hair, and put on fine garments, and Omar smote him with his scourge until he made him cry, and Hafsah said to him, ' why dost thou strike him ?' He answered, ' I saw that his spirit had made him vain, and I wished to abase it within him,' And from Layth-b-Abi Salim that

Omar said, ' give not as names al Hakam or A'bdu'l Hakam, for the Lord is the only ruler (Hakam), and call not a road Sikkah.' "J

* The MS, has Jurayj and not Jurayh as in the printed text—of Jurayh, I can find no mentioit. A'bdu'l Malik-b-Jurayj, according to Ibn Khallakan was celehrated he was the first after the promulgation for his learning ; and it is said that of lalim who composed books. He was a native of Mecca and a member by adoption of the Kiiraysh. Bom A. H. 80 (699-70), and A. H. 149 (766). t Meaning that she was crooked by nature and hard. ' A crooked rib' is a meta- pTior for a woman amongst the unpolished sons of the desert.

J The only reason I can suggest for this prohibition is the tradition c*«k. j U> [ 148 ]

A. H. 23. Al Bayhaki records in the Shaa'b u'l Fmain on the authority of ad A. D. 643, Dhahhak that Abu Bakr said, " by Allah, I would I were a tree by the wayside, that camels might pass by me and seize me and take me in their mouths and chew me and swallow me, then cast me forth as ordure, and- that I were not a mortal man." And Omar said, '' would that I were a ram, bhat my people might fatten me as it appeared goad to them, so that when I became as fat as could be, those whom they loved might visit them, and they might kill me for them, and make part of me roast and part of me dried flesh, and eat me, and that I were not a mortal man." And Ibn A'sakir from Abu'l Bakhtari,* that Omar Ibn u'l Khattab was preaching from the pulpit, when al Husayn the son of A'li stood up against him and said, " come down from the pulpit of my father !" and Omar replied, " it is the pulpit of thy father, not the pulpit of my father, who hath counselled thee to this ?" Then A'li rose and said, " by Allah, no one counselled him to this —but (turning to Ms son) I vsriU assuredly make thee smart, O traitor;" and Omar said, " hurt not the son of my brother, for he hath said truly that it is the pulpit of his father;" (The authorities are trustworthy.) Al Khatib in his Euwat (narrators') records on the authority of Abu Salamah-b-A'bdi'r Eahman and S'aid-b-u'l Mus- sayyab, that Omar and Othman were disputing on a certain point among themselves, when a looker on exclaimed, " verily they will never agree," but they did not separate except upon the best and most admirable

agreement, regarding it. And Ibn Saa'd from al Hasan, that at the

first discourse that Omar preached, he praised God and glorified Him, and then said, " verily I am tried with^e and ye are tried with me, and I have followed as Vicegerent among ye after my two Companions^ As to those who are with us, we have undertaken their affairs in person, and as to those who are away from us, we have appointed over them as rulers, men of power and trust, and he who doeth well, we will give him increase of benefits, and whoso doeth evil, we will punish, and may

• the Lord have mercy upon me and ye." And from Jubayr-b-u'l Huway- rith that Omar took counsel of the Muslims regarding the establishing of

registers and A'li said to him, " divide every year the revenue that is

lyi ill (>*j'ii ^^-".'l "The ploughshare enters not the abode of a people, but they

become abased " The same word signifying, " a ploughshare'' and " a road." Omar might

have held its use as of ill-augury to his people. The real meaning of the tradition

however is, that with the introduction of agriculture begins the extortion of orulers. * Abu'l Bakhtari Wahb-b-Wahh of the Kuraysh and a native of Medina: he removed from Medina to Baghdad under the Caliphate of Harun ar Rashid. He was- appointed Kadlji of Medina and afterwards removed. He died at Baghdad A. H. 200 (815-16) under the Caliphate of al Mdmtin. He was liberal with his purse, but noto-

rious as a fabricator of traditions and Ibn l^anbal ctilUi him a liar. Ibn Khali. •

[ 149 ] collected for thee and keep not back anything." And Othman said, " I A. H. 23. see that there is a large revenue sufficient for the people, and if they do A. D. 6-43. not keep a register so that he who hath received may be distinguished from him who hath not received, I fear that affairs will fall into confusion." Then al Walid-b-Hisham-b-i'l Mughirah said to him, " prince of the Faithful, verily I have been to Syria, and I have seen that its princes- have established registers and organized armies, therefore establish registers and organize troops," and he took his counsel. Then he summoned A'kil- b-AbiTalib andMakhramah-b-Naufal and Jubayr-b- Muslim who were among the most skilled genealogists of the Kuraysh, and he said, " write down the people according to their degrees," and they wrote beginning with the Banu Hashim, then followed them up with Abu Bakr and his people, then Omar and his people, in the Caliphate, and when Omar looked into it, he said, " begin with the kindred of the prophet, the nearest after the nearest, until ye place Omar where God hath placed him." And from Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, that Omar established the registers in the month of Muharraija the 20th year of the Flight. And from al Hasan, that Omar wrote to Hudayfah, saying, " give the men their stipends and rations," and he replied, " verily I have done so and a large sum is over." Thereupon Omar wrote to him, " verily the booty which God hath given unto them, belongeth not to Omar nor to the family of Omar,— divide it among them." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Jubayr-b-Muti'm, that he said " while Omar was standing'upon the mount of A'rafah,* he heard a man call out and say, " O Caliph, Caliph." And another man heard him, (and they were taking provisions for the way) and said " what is the matter with thee—may Allah cleave thy uvula." Then I advanced towards the " man and called out to him." Jubayr continues : verily the next day I was standing with Omar at al Aka'bah,t casting stones at it when there came a stone with force, striking violently the head of Omar. Then I turned that way and heard a man from the mount say,—" dost thou know, by the Lord of the Kaa'bah that Omar shall never again stand in this station ?" " a,fter this year Jubayr adds. And lo ! it was he who had called out among us the day before, and the thing weighed heavily upon me." And from Ayesha that she said, "at the time of the last pilgrimage which Omar performed with the mothers of the true believers,! when we returned

* This was on the second day of the pilgrimage called the Taum A'rafah the 9th of Du'l Hijjah. t Jamrat u'l A'kabah, or as it is vulgarly termed, Shaytan al Kabir, the great devil—one of the three piUars stoned during the ceremonies of the pilgrimage. See Burton Vol. Ill, pp. 238-282. J The wives of Muhammad. •

[ 150 ]

A. H. 23. from A'rafah, passbg loj al Muhassab,* I heard a man upon his camel

A. D. 643. saying, ' where was Omar the prince of the Faithful!' and I heard!

another man reply, ' here was the prince of the Faithful ;' then he made his caTnel kneel down and raised his voice, wailing, and said—

' Upon such an Imam as thou be peace and bless May the hand of Grod, that lacerated exterior.

Whosof goeth with speed or rideth upon the wings of the ostrich : To overtake that which thou hast sent before thee yesterday, will be out-stripped. Thou hast adjudged affairs but left behind them Calamities in their sleeves not yet unloosed'.'

And that rider moved not, nor was it known who he was, and we used to say that he was a Jinn. And Omar returned from that pilgrimag,e and was stabbed (with a dagger) and died." And on the authority of Omar that he said, " this authority shall rest with the men of Badr as long as

one of them is left ; then with the men of Oliud as long as one of them

is left, and then with such and such, but there shall be no part in it for a liberated slave, nor for the son of a liberated slave, nor for a Muslim hecome so at the conquest of Mecca." And from an Nakha'i, that a man said to Omar, " wilt thou not name as successor, A'bdu'Uah-b-Omar ?" He " said, may Allah smite thee ! by Allah, never have I desired this of God that I should appoint as successor a man who knoweth not properly how to divorce his wife. "J And from Kaa'b that he said, " there was amongst, the children of Israel a king ;§ when T recall him, I think of Omar, and when I recaU Omar, I think of him. And he had with him a prophet who

was inspired, and the Lord inspired the jirophet to say to him, ' make thou thy covenant, and write unto me thy testament, for verily thou art a dead man in three days.' " The prophet therefore told him this, and when

it was the third day he fell down between the wall and the bed. Then " he turned to his Lord and said, Lord ! if Thou knewest that 1 was just in government,, and, when affairs became troubled that I followed Thy

* Tte Bame of tlie way tetween the mountains, opening upon the part called

^hj J/t between Mecca and Miaa, so called from the pebbles in it. Lane.

^ (_j**" also signifies running to and fro between as Safd and al Maiwah. The

meaning is probably that the merits acquired by Omar iu his pilgrimage are not to be f

1' surpassed. I prefer to read (3^^. for ci^W as otherwise the CT* is left ' en air,' without its complement. to away at a time when divorce was not X A'bdu'llah once attempted put her permitted by the Muljammadan law.

§ Ezeohias, Kings iv. xx. :

[ 151 ] guidance, and was such and such, then lengthen my life, that my son may A H. 23. grow up and my people be set in order." And the word of the Lord came A. D. 64i3. to the prophet, saying, " verily he hath said so and so, and indeed hath

spoken truly, and verily I have added to his life fifteen years, and during that there is time that his son may grow up and his people be set in order." And when Omar was stabbed, Kaa'b said—" if but Omar were to ask of his Lord, He would surely preserve him." Omar was informed of this, and he said, " God, take me to Thyself while as yet I am not enfeebled nor under reproach." And from Sulayman-b-Yasdr, that the Jinns mourned over Omar. Al Hakim records on the authority of Malik-b-Dindr* that a voice was heard on the mount of Tabalahf when Omar was slain, saying, " Let him who wept, weep for Islam : For verily they are about to be laid prostrate, and their appointed time hath not been exceeded. And the world hath gone back and its good withdrawn

And verily he is wearied of it who was confident in the promise."

Ibn Abi 'd Dunya records on the authority of Yahya-b-Abi Eashid of Basrah, that Omar said to his son, " be moderate in the expenses of my shroud, for verily if there be aught of good with God in my favour, he will give nie in exchange what is better than it, and if I have been otherwise, He will strip me and be swift in my stripping. And be moderate in my grave that ye dig for me, for verily if there be aught of good with God in my favour, he will widen it unto me as far as my eye can reach, and if I have been otherwise, he will straighten it upon me until my ribs interlace. And let no woman go forth with me, and praise me not for that which is not in me, for the Lord knoweth best what I am. Therefore when you go forth, hasten in your going, for if there be aught of good with God in my favour, you will speed me on to that which is my good, and if I have been otherwise, ye cast from your necks an evil that ye bear."

Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Ibn A'bbas that al A'bbas said, " I asked of the Lord a year after Omar died, that he would show him unto me in sleep," and I saw him after a year and he was wiping the sweat from his forehead and I said to him, " with my father—mayest thou ie rcmsomed, and with my mother—how is it with thee ?" He replied, " it

* Abu Yahya, MaKk-b-Dmar of Basrah, an ascetic and one of the Tabiis. Ha was freedman of one of the women of the Bauu Najfah. He is regarded as a trustworthy authority, died A. H. 123 or 129. An Jfawawi. t Eight days' march from Mecca and six from Tajf. : —

[ 152 ]

A. H. 23.' is but now tliat I am free from the Judgment and Omar would have A. D. 643. perished,* had I not indeed met One who is Merciful and Compassion-

ate." And from Zayd-b-Aslam,t that Abdu'llah-b-Omar-b i'l A'as saw Omar in sleep and he said, " how hast thou done ?" he replied, " how

long is it that I left jou ?" He answered, "twelve years ssgo." He said

'' verily it is even now that I am free from Judgment." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Salim-b-Abdi'Uah-b-Omar that he said, " I heard a man

of the Auxiliaries say, ' I prayed to God that he would show me Omar in sleep, and I saw him after ten years and he was wiping the sweat from his forehead and I said, prince of the Faithful, what hast thou been doing ?" He replied, " I have but now been freed from Judgment, and had it not been for the mercy of my God> I had perished." Al Hakim records on the authority of as Shaa'bi that A'atikah the' daughter of Zayd-b-A'mr b-Nufayl said, mourning Omar " Eye ! let thy tears and weeping be abundant And weary not—over the noble chief.

Death hath afflicted me in the fall of a, horseman Distinguished in the day of battle and of contumely.

The stay of Faith, the defence against inclement fortune : And a champion unto the afflicted and ojDpressed.

Say unto the hopeless and the desolate, die ! Since death hath given us to drink the cup of dissolution." Among the distinguished people who died during Omar's time were, U'tbah-b-Ghazwan,—al A'la-b-u'l Hadhrami,—Kays-b-u's Sakan—Abu Kuhafah father of as Siddfk—Saa'd-b-U'badah—Suhayl-b-A'mr—Ibn Umm Maktdm the Muaddin—Ayyash-b-Abi Eabii'h—A'bdu'r Hahman brother of az Zubayr-b-A'wam—Kays-b-Abi Sa'saa'h one of those who collected the Kuran—Naufal-b-u'l Harith-b-i'l Muttalib—his brother Abu Sufyan—Mariyah, mother of the Sayyid Ibrahim—Abu Ubaydah-b-u'l Jarrah Maa'd-b-Jabal—Yazid-b-AbiSufyan—Shurahbil-b-Hasanah—alFadhl-b-u'l A'bbas—Abu Jaridal-b-Suhayl—Abu Malik al Asha'ri— Safwan-b-u'l Mua't- tal—U'bayy-b-Kaa'b—Bilalthe Muaddin—U'sayd-b-u'l Hudhayr—al Bara- b-Mdlik the brother of Anas—Zaynab, daughter of Jahsh—A'yadh-b-Ghanam Abu'l Haytham-b-u't Tayyihdn—Khalid-b-u'l Walid—al Jartid, chief of the Banu Abdi'l Kays—an Nu'm^n-b-Mukarran—Katadah-b-u'n Nu'man—al Akra'-b-Hdbis—Saudah, daughter of Zama'-h—U'waym-b-Saidah—Ghilan at Thakafi—Abu Mihjan at ThS,kafi—and others of the Companions.

* Lit. his means of support would have heen destroyed—or his dwelling would have heen demolished. t Ahu Usdmah Zayd-h-Aalam tho froedman of Omar, a native of Medina, and one of the Tahi'is, distinguished for his piety and theological learning, and much sought after for his instructions and discourses. He died at Medina about A. H. 136. An Nawawi. [ 153 ]

A. H. 23. OTHMA'N-B-A'FFA'N. A. D. 643.

Othman-b-A'fian-b-Abi'l A'as-b-Umayya-b-Abdi's Shams-b-Abd Ma- naf-b-Kusayy-b-Kilab-b-Murrah-b-Kaa'b-b-Luayy-b-Ghalib, al Kuraysbi al Umawi, Abu A'mr, called also Abu A'bdu'llah and Abu Laylab, was born in ths 6th year of the Elephant. He was converted early and was one of those called to Islam by as Siddik. He took part in the two

Flights, the first to Abyssinia and the second to Medina, and married Eukayyah, the daughter of the Apostle of God before the prophetic mission, and she died at his house on one of the nights of the fight of Badr, and he was detained from Badr through his attendance on her, with the permission of the Apostle of God, who assigned to him a portion of the spoils and compensated him. He is therefore numbered among those present at Badr, and the messenger arrived with the news of the victory of the Muslims at Badr, on the day that they buried her at Medina. The Apostle of God then gave him in marriage after her, her sister Umm Kulthum and she died in his house in the 9th year of the Hijrah. The learned say that no one besides him is known to have married the two daughters of a prophet, and for that, he has been named possessor of the two Luminaries. He was one of the first early converts, and the foremost of the Fugitives and one of the Ten to whom the attainment of Paradise was testified, and one of the Six, with whom, when the Apostle of God died he was well content, and one of the Companions who, collected the Kuran. Indeed Ibn A'bbad* says that none but he and al Mamlin, among the Caliphs, collected the Kuran. Ibn Saa'd says that the Apostle of God appointed him Vice- gerent at Medina during his military expeditions to Dat u'r Eik^a' and Ghatfan. One hundred and forty-six traditions are related by him on the authority of the Apostle of God.f Ibn Saa'd records on the testimony of A'bdu'r Eahman-b-hatib that he said, " I never saw any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God, who, when he narrated a tradition, gave it more completely and excellently

* Abu'l Eaaim Isma'il-b-Abi'l Hasan A'bbad the Sahib the wonder of his age for his talents, virtues and generosity. He was Vizir to Muwayyid u'd Doulah-b- Rukn u'd Dawlat-b-Buwayh and subsequently to his brother Fakhr u'd Dawlah. He was the author of numerous works, the most known being the Muhit, a work on philology, another on epistolary writing, one on Festivals, and another on the rank of Imam, stating the merits of Ali and tie legitimacy of those who preceded him. Born A. H. 326 (938) at Istakhar and died at Eai A. H. 385 (995). Ibn KhaU. De Slane writes the name A'bbad but according to Meursiugo (De Interpret, Kur. p. 39) Suyuti makes it A'bbad and I'bbad. The Munt. Arab, gives A'bbad. + Here follows a list of those who have narrated traditions on his authority which I have omitted. 20 [ 154 ]

A. H. 23. than Othman-b-A'ffan, save verily he were a man who held traditions in

A. D. 6-13. great fear. And on the authority of Muhammad-b-Sirin that the most learned of them in the ceremonials of the pilgrimage, was Othman, and after him Ibn Omar.'' Al Bayhaki records in his Sunan on the authority of A'bdu'llah-b-Omar-b-Aban al Jua'fi that he narrates, " my maternal

uncle Husayn al Jua'fi said to me, ' dost thou know why Othman hath

been called Possessor of the two Luminaries ?' I said, ' no.' He replied,

' none hath ever been united to the two daughters of a prophet from the

time that God created Adam, nor shall he so till the resurrection cometh to pass, save Othman—for that reason he hath been called Possessor of the two Luminaries.' " Abu Nua'ym records on the authority of al Hasan that he said, " verily Othman was called Possessor of the two Luminaries, because we know none save him, who hath closed his door upon the two daughters of a prophet." And Khaythamah in the Fadhail u's Sihabah, {Merits of the Companions) and Ibn A.'sakir from A'li-b-Abi Talib, that he was asked

regarding Othman and he said, " that man is called in the court of heaven, Possessor of two Luminaries—he was the son-in-law of the Apostle of God through his two daughters." Al MaKni records on a weak ascrip-

tion from Sahl-b-Saa'd that he said, " Othmdn is called Possessor of the two Luminaries because he passeth over from one station to another in Para-

dise and there gleameth for him two streams o4 light, and he is called so on that account." He adds, that he received the surname of Abu A'mr in the time of Ignorance, but when Islam arose, Eukayyah bore him A'b- du'llah, and he received the surname (Abu A'bdw'llah) from him. His mother was Arwa, daughter of Kurayz-b-Rabii'h-b-Habib-b- Abdi's Shams, and her mother was Umm Hakim al Baidha, daughter of Abdu'l Muttalib-b-Hashim, twin sister of the father of the Apostle of God. Thus the mother of Othman was the daughter of the paternal aunt of the prophet.*

* Hashim

A'bdu'l Muttalib

A'bdu'Uah Umm Hakim

Mul,iDmmad. Aiwa. [ 155 ]

Ibn Ishak says that hb was the first to embrace Isldm after Abu Bakr, A H. 23. and A'li, and Zayd-b-Harithah. Ibn A'sakir records on various ascriptions, A. D. 643.

that Othiman was of middling stature, neither short nor tall, of a comely aspect, fair, inclined to yellow, upon his face the scars of small-pox, full bearded, large of limb, broad between the shoulders, fleshy in the thigh, long in the forearms, which were clothed with hair. He was curly -headed,

bald, having the most beautiful teeth of all men, his locks falling below his ears dyed a yellowish colour, and verily he used to bind his teeth with gold wire. And on the authority of A'bdu'llah-b-Hazm al Mazini,* that he said, " I have seen Othmdn the son of Affdn, but I have never seen man or woreian more beautiful of face than he." And from Mtisa-b-Talhah, that Othman was the most comely of men. And from Usamah-b-Zayd that he said, " the Apostle of God sent me to the house of Othman with a dish

of meat and I entered, and lo ! there was Eukayyah seated. And I began to look now upon the face of Eukayyah, and now upon the face of Othman, and when I returned, the Apostle of God enquired of me and said, " didst thou go in to them ?" I said " yes ;" he continued, " hast thou ever seen a more comely pair than those two ?" I said " no— Apostle of God." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Muhammad-b-Ibrahim-b-i'l' Harith at Taymi, that when Othman became a Muslim, his paternal uncle al Hakam-b-Abi'l A'as-b-XJmayyah, took him and bound him with a cord and said, " dost thou turn from the faith of thy fathers to the religion of an innovator ? by Allah, I will never let thee go until thou abandonest what thou art about." And Othman said, " by Allah, I will never forsake it nor abandon it." And when al Hakam saw his steadfastness in his faith, he released him.

Abu Ta'la records on the authority of Anas, that the first of the Mus- lims who emigrated with his family to Abyssinia was Othman-b-A'ffan, aAd the Apostle of God said, " may God protect those two, for Othman was assuredly the first who emigrated with his family after Lot." And Ibn A'di from Ayesha, that when the prophet married his daughter TJmm Kulthum to Othman, he said to her, '' verily thy-husband resembles jnost, among men, thy forefather Abraham and thy father Muhammad." And Ibn A'di and Ibn A'sakir, from Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God said, " I find a resemblance in Othman to my forefather Abraham."

* There are three families of the Mazins—those of the tribes of Tamim, Kays and Eabii'h. [ 156 1

A. H. 23. On the traditions lumded down regarding his merits, over and A. D. 643. above what has preceded.

The two Shaykhs record on the testimony of Ayesha, that the prophet gathered together his garments when Othman entered, and said " shall I ?" not be bashful before the man before-whom the angels stand abashed And al Bukhari from Abu A'bdu'r Eahman as Sulami,* that Othman when he was besieged in his house, stood up overlooking the hesiegers and said, " I conjure ye, by Allah, and I call on none but the Companions of the prophet,— do ye not know that the Apostle of God said, ' he who aideth in providing for the army of distress,t for him is Paradise'—and I fitted them out ? Do ye not know that the Apostle of God said, ' he who diggeth the well at Etimah.J for him is Paradise,' and I dug it?" And they testified to the truth of what he said. At Tirmidi records on the authority of A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Khabbab, that he said, " I saw the Apostle of God encouraging the army of distress,

' hundred and Othman exclaimed, Apostle of God ! I answer for one camels with their housings and saddles for the sake of God :' and the prophet continued encouraging the troops, and Othman cried out, ' O Apostle of God, I answer for two hundred camels with their housings and saddles for the sake of God.' And he went on encouraging the troops, I and Othman called out, ' O Apostle of God—I answer for three hundred camels with their housings and saddles for the sake of God.' Then "the Apostle of God descended from the pulpit, saying, " Othman will not be judged whatever he may do after this." And from Anas and al Hdkim, verified on the authority of A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Samurah§ that Othman went to the prophet with a thousand dinars, when he was fitting out the army of distress and poured it into his lap, and the Apostle of God began turn-

ing it over, saying twice, " it shall not harm Othman, whatever he may ^o

* A'bu A'fcdu'r Eahmfin A'bdu'Ilah-b-Habib as Sulami al Kufi was bom in the lifetime of Muhammad. He learned to read tbe Kurfa under the tuition of the Caliphs Othmlji and A'li and taught the same aoienoe in the mosque of Kufah, died A. H. 74 (693-4). De Slane I. K. t The army of Tabuk. This expedition against the Greeks was undertaken at a time of great heat and drought, and the sufferings of the troops procured for it this name. He furnished them with 960 camels and 60 horses.

X Between Jurf and ZighAbah, near Medina; Omar purchased it firom the Jews for twenty thousand dirhams, and gave it to the Muslims. An Nawawi.

§ Abu S'aid, A'bdu'r Ealimfai, son of Samurab. the Companion. (See note t p. 42). He was a resident of Ba?rah. He fought in Khorasln in the time of Othm4n and overran Sigistdn and Kabul. He related fourteen traditions from his master. Died at Bairah (and some say at Marv) A. H. SO or 51. An Nawawi. —

[ 157 ]

after this day." And from Anas that he said, " when the Apostle of God "*• "*''' commanded the allegiance pleasing* to God to be, sworn to him, Othmdn was the messenger of the Apostle of God to the people of Mecca, aiid the

men sware allegiance, and the prophet said, ' verily Ofchman, is employed in the requirements of God and the needs of His Apostle,' and he struck one hand upon the other, and the hand of the Apostle of God as a pledge for Othman was better than their hands for themselves." And from Ibn Omar that the Apostle of God spoke of dissensions and said, alluding to Othman, "this one shall be wrongfully slain in them." At Tirmidi and al Hakim and Ibn Majah record on the authority of Murrah-b-Kaa'b that he said, " I heard the apostle of God speaking of

troubles that he thought to- be near at hand, when a man passed by

muffled up in his garment, and he said, ' this man to-day is in the path of

;' salvation and I went to him and lo ! it was Othman, and I turned my face towards ^Ae ^ro^Ae^, and said, 'this man?'' He replied 'yes.'" And at Tirmidi and al Hakim from Ayesha, that the prophet said, " O Othman, perchance the Lord may clothe thee with a garment, and if the hypocrites

desire to take it from thee, put it not off till thou meetest me in Paradise." And at Tirmidi from Othman that he said on the day of the siege of his house, " verily, the apostle of God, hath made a covenant with me, and I am awaiting its fulfilment." Al Hdkim records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that he said, " Othman purchased Paradise from the prophet on two occasions ; viz., when he dug the well of Riimah, and when he fitted out the army of dis-

tress." And Ibn A'sakir from Abu Hurayrah, that the prophet said, " Othman among the Companions, most resembles me in disposition." And at Tabarani from A'smah-b-Malik that he said, " when the daughter of the apostle of God died under the roof of Othman, the apostle of God said, " Give your daughters in marriage to Othman—if I had a third daughter, I would assuredly give her in marriage to him, and I have never wedded any to him save under inspiration." And Ibn A'sakir from A'li, that he narrates, " I heard the apostle of God say to Othman, " if I had forty daughters, I would wed them with thee one after the other, until not one of them was left." And from Zayd-b-Thabit that he narrates, " I heard the Apostle of God say, Othman passed me, and there was with me one of the angels who said, ' he shall he a martyr—his people shall slay him I am abashed before him.' " Abu Ya'la records on the authority of Ibn Omar that the prophet said, " verily the angels stand abashed before

* At HudayWyah. The word m^J^J is used, because it is employed with reference to this occasion in Kur. XLVII. [ 158 ]

A. H. _3. Othman as they stand abashed before God and his apostle." And Ibn A. D. 613. A'sakir from al Hasan that the modesty of Othman was mentioned in his

hearing, and he said, " if it were that he was in the middle of his house, and the door closed upon him, and he were to put aside his clothes to pour water upon himself, modesty would forbid him to straighten his back."

On Ms Caliphate.

He was sworn allegiance to as Caliph, three nights after Omar was

buried, and it is related that the people at that time were gathered about A'bdu'r Eahman-b-A'uf taking counsel with him, and speaking privily with him, and there was not a man of judgment who was in private with him who held any one equal to Othman. And when A'bdu'r Bahman took his seat for the covenant of allegiance, he praised God and glorified him and said in his discourse, " verily I see that the people reject all but Othman." (Ibn A'sakir from Miswar*-b-Makhramah). But according to another account, he said, " and now O A'li I have regarded the people and I have not seen any of them equalling Othman, therefore make not a way unto the Caliphate for thyself." Then he took the hand of Othman and said, " I swear allegiance to thee according to the law of God, and the law of his apostle, and the law of the two Caliphs after him." And A'bdu'r Bah- man swore fealty to him, and Fugitives and the Auxiliaries swore him allegiance. Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Anas, that Omar an hour before be died sent to the father of Talhah the Auxiliary and said, " go at the head of fifty of the Auxiliaries with those men of the Council, for as I count upon it, they will assemble together in a house. Stand thou at that door with thy Companions and suffer none to go in to them and let not the third day pass with them before they give authority to one among them." It is recorded in. the Musnad of Ahmad on the authority of Abu Wailf

• Abu A'bdu'r Eahman Miswar-b-Makhramali-b-Naufal descended from Murrah. He was bom at Mecca two years after the Fligbt and was one of the moat skilled of the Companions in jurisprudence. He remained at Medina till the death of Othman and then returned to Mecca, and after the death of Mu'awiyah, remained with Ibn az

Zubayr, till tlje siege by al Hajj&j, when he was killed by a stone from a catapult. An Naw. + Abu Wdil Shakik-b-Salimah a Tabi'i of the tribe of Asad, native of Kufah. He was a cotemporary of Muljammad but never saw him, died A. H. 79. His authority as a traditiouist is acknowledged. An Nawawi. [ 159 ] that he narrates, '' I said to A'bdu'r Rahman-b-A'uf, ' how did ye swear A. H. 23. allegiance to Othman and pass over A'li?' he replied, ' it was not my A. D. 643. fault. Verily I began with A'li and I said, " I will make with thee a covenant of allegiance according to the Book of God, and the law of His apostle, and the institutions of Abu Eakr, and Omar." And he replied " in as far as I am able ;" then I offered the same to Othmdn and he " accepted.' " And it is related that A'bdu'r Rahman said to Othman in private, if I make not a covenant of allegiance with thee whom dost thou counsel to me ?" He replied, " A'li ;" and he said to A'li, " if I make not a covenant of allegiance with thee, whom dost thou counsel to mp ?" he said, " Oth- man." Then he summoned az Zubayr and said, " if I make not a covenant of allegiance with thee, whom dost thou counsel to me ?" He replied, "A'li or Othman." Then he summoned Saa'd and said, " whom dost thou counsel to me? for I and thou desire it not : " and he said, " Othman." Then A'bdu'r Rahman took counsel with the chief men, and he said that most of them were for Othman. Ibn Saa'd and al Hakim record on the authority of Ibn Masa'iid that he said, " when Othman was sworn allegiance to, we placed in authority the best that remained among us, and we were not remiss in our duty."

In this year of his Caliphate, Rai was taken, for it had been taken before and lost again. In "the same, the people were attacked with a great issuing of blood from the nose, and it was called the Year of the He- morrhage. This haemorrhage seized Othman, so that he was detained from the pilgrimage and deputed another j,n his stead. During the same many Grecian fortresses were taken, and Othman placed Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkas in the government of Kufah, and removed al Mughirah. In the year 25, Othman removed Saa'd from Kiifah and appointed al Walid-b-U'k'bah-b-Abi Muayt', who was a Companion, a brother of 0th- man's on the motlier's side, and that was the first thing with which he was reproached in that he preferred his relations to posts of authority : moreover it is related that al Walid read morning prayers to the people four rakaa'ts, while he was intoxicated, and he looked upon them and said, " shall I go on for ye ?" In the year 26, Othman enlarged the sacred mosque and extended it and purchased the adjoining buildings for its augmentation. During the same Sablir* was taken. In the year 27, Mu'awiyah led an expedition against Cyprus, and crossed the sea with his troops, and with him was U'badah-b-u'l Samitf

* Shahpur probatly. Near Shiraz. Tlie MS. has Naysabtir. t He was one of the Companipns sent by Omar to Syria at the time of its con- [ 160 ]

A. H. 27. and his wife Umm Haram, daug'hter of Milhan, a woman of the Auxiliaries. A. D. 647. She fell from her mule, and died there for the faith. The prophet had foretold to her this expedition and prayed that she might be one of them. She was buried at Cyprus. During this year Arrajan (jErghdn) and Darabjird were taken ;* and in the same Othman removed A'mr-b-u'l A'as from Egypt and appointed

over it A'bdu'llah-b-Saa'd-b-Abi Sarh, who led an expedition against Nor-

thern Africa and overran it both plains and hills, and each man of the troops received a thousand and some say, three thousand dinars. Spain was als6 subsequently conquered in this year. An anecdote deserves mention. Mu'awiyah had urged upon Omar-b- u'l Khattab the expedition to Cyprus and the neeessity of reaching it by a sea voyage, and Omar wrote to A'mr-b-u'l A'as, saying, " describe to me the sea and its rider." And he wrote, saying, "Verily I saw a huge con-

struction, upon which mounted diminutive creatures, if it is stiU, it rends

the heart, if it moves, it terrifies the senses. Within it the faculties grow

diminishing and calamities augmenting. Those inside it, are like worms

in a log. If it inclines to one side, they are drowned, if it escapes, they are confounded." When Omar read the letter, he wrote to Mu'awiyah, saying, " By Allah, I will not set a true believer upon it." Ibn Jarir says that Mu'awiyah proceeded against Cyprus in the time of Othman, and concluded a peace with its inhabitants on condition of tribute.

In the year 29, Persepolis was taken by force of arms and Kasa and other places. During the same, Othman enlarged the mosque of Medina and built it of carved stone, and fashioned its pillars of stones, and its roof of teakwood, and made its length one hundred and sixty cubits and its breadth one hundred and fifty cubits. In the year 30, Jtir was taken, and many towns in the land of Khura- san. Naysabtir was occupied by treaty, though some say, by force ; and Tiis and Sarkhas both by treaty and likewise Marw and Bayhak.f When these extensive provinces were conquered, abundant was the tribute unto Othman, and wealth came unto him from every side, so that he established

quest to teach the people the Kuran. He died at Jerusalem and some say at Eamlah in A. H. 34, aged 72. An Nawawi.

* An aliph is omitted in the printed edition. DfirAhjird is near Persepolis : another town of the name is near Nayaabur.

t Aooording to Ydkut, Bayha^ comprises the country hetween Naysahflr, or as it is commonly written Nishapur, Kiimis and Juwayn, and contains throe hundred and twenty-one villages. [ 161 ] for himself treasuries and gave bountiful stipends,* and he would order a A. H. 30. man a hundred thousand badras, in each " badrah,"t being four thousand A. D. 650. ounces.

In the year 31, {Sere a hiatus in the MSS. The intervening years have

little to mark them). In 31, according to Abu'l Fida, {Annals') Yezdi- jird died, and a rebellion broke out in Khurasan, but was quelled by Othmdn. In 83 died Iln Masa'ud, the Companion. In 34 and 35 occurred the seditions in Kufah against the nepotism of Othmdn. In the year 35 took place the assassination of Othmdn.

Az Zuhri says that Othman ruled the Caliphate twelve years. For six years he governed without the people having anything to reproach

against him ; and he was more beloved by the Kuraysh than Omar, for Omar was stern with them, and when Othman ruled them, he treated them with leniency and was attached to them. But afterwards he became heedless of their affairs, and appointed his kinsmen and the people of his house to authority during the last six years, and bestowed upon Marwan a fifth of the revenues of Africa, and lavished on his kindred and family the property of the State, and explained it as the assistance to kindred which the Lord had enjoined, and said, " verily Abu Bakr and Omar have neglected in that matter what was incumbent upon them, and I have taken it

and divided it among my kindred ;" but the people disapproved of it. (Ibn Saa'd). Ibn A'sakir records, after another account, on the authority of az

Zuhri that he narrates, " I said to Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, ' canst thou tell

me the ma,nner of the death of Othman, and how it was with the people and with him, and why the Companions of Muhammad forsook him ?' and Ibn u'l Musayyab replied, ' Othman was slain unjustly, and he who slew him was a wrongdoer, but those who forsook him are to be excused.' I said, ' how was that ?' He replied, ' when Othman assumed, the government, some of the Companions disapproved of his rule, because Othman

Jill might also mean that he caused provisions and the like to poitr in plenti.

fully—as in Omar's orders to Jthe tax-gatherers *^ (jyil eri*^~*'l ; tut here the context seems to refer to stipends from the treasury. t A badrah is a purse containing a sum of, from one thousand to ten thousand dirhams. It appears incredihle that in the early days of the Caliphate such extravagance could have existed, hut the lavish hounty of Othman is noticed by Gibbon and it gained for him in return but ingratitude and discontent. 21 [ 162 ]

A. H. 35. had a great affection for his tribe. He ruled the Caliphate twelve A. D. 655-6. years, and frequently appointed to office among the Banu Umayyah,

' those who had not enjoyed the Companionship of the Apostle of God. Thus there were committed by his prefects those actions which the Companions of Muhammad did not approve. Othman, however, favoured them and did not remove them, and during the last six years, he preferred the children of his uncle and appointed them to rule, and let none others share with them, nor enjoined on them the fear of God. Thus he appointed A'bdu'llah-b-Saa'd-b-Abi Sarh to govern Egypt and he

remained over it some years. The people of Egypt complained and sought redress against him. And verily before this, there had occurred on the part of Othman a slight towards A'bdu'Uah-b-Masa'lid, and Abu Darr and A'mmar-b-Ydsir, and the Banu Hudayl and the Banu Zuhrah had in their hearts what was in them on account of Ibn Masa'ud, and the Banu Ghafdr, and their confederates and those that were wroth concerning Abu Darr, had in their hearts what was in them, and the Banu Makhzum were wroth with Othman on account of A'mmdr-b-Yasir. And the people of Egypt came complaining against the son of Abu Sarh, and Othman wrote

to him a letter threatening him in it, but the son of Abu Sarh refused to submit to what Othman had forbidden him, and he scourged him who had come from Othman, of the people of Egypt that had gone to Othman complaininff,,-ajndL slew him. Then seven hundred of the people of Egypt went forth, and they alighted at the mosque at Medina,, and made their complaint to the Companions at the appointed places of prayer, of what the son of Abu Sarh had done to them. Thereupon Talhah-b-TJ'bayd- i'llah arose and spoke harsh words to Othman, and Ayesha sent to him and said, ' the Companions of Muhammad have come to thee and asked of thee the removal of this man and thou hast refused, yet this man hath put to death a man among them. Therefore do them justice against thy

governor.' And A'li-b-Abi Talib went in to him and said, ' verily they demand of you one man in the place of another and have claimed for him tie revenge for blood, therefore remove him from over them and judge between them, for a claim stands against him, therefore do them justice upon him.' He replied to them, ' choose ye a man that I may appoint him over ye in his place.' And the people pointed out to him Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr, and said, ' place over us Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr.' And he wrote him his charge and appointed him. And there went forth with them a number of the Fugitives and Auxiliaries that they might see what was happening between the people of Egypt and the son of Abu Sarh, and Muhammad and those with him set forth. But when they were at the third day's stage from Medina, behold ! there came up with them a black slave upon a camel striking the camel violently like to [ 163 ]

A man who pursues or is pursued, and the companions of Muhammad* A. H. 35.

said to liim, ' what is thy adveijture and thy condition ? for verily thou A. D. 655-6.

art either fleeing or pursuing.' And he said to them, ' I am the slave of the prince of the Faithful who hath sent me to the prefect of Egypt.' And a

' man said to him, ' this is the prefect of Egypt.' He replied, it is not this " one I want.' Then Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr was informed regarding him, and he sent a man in pursuit of him, who caught him and brought him before him, and he said, " slave, who art thou ?" And he began saying at one time, " I am the slave of the prince of the Faithful," and at another, " I am the slave of Marwan," until a man recognized him as the slave of Othman. Then Muhammad said to him, " Unto whom art thou sent ?" He replied, " to the prefect of Egypt." He asked, " with what ?" He answered, " with a letter." He said, " Is the letter with thee ?" He replied, " no" whereupon they searched him, but found no letter upon him, but with him was a ewer in which was something dried up that rustled, and

they shook it that it might be cast out, but it did not come out, so they

broke the ewer when lo ! there was in it a letter from Othman to the son of Abu Sarh. Then Muhammad assembled those that were with him of the Fugitives and Auxiliaries and others, and he opened the letter in their " presence, when behold ! there was in it : When Muhammad and such a one and such a one reach thee, contrive a scheme for their death, and set aside his charge, and remain in thy government until my advice reach thee,

and imprison such as come to me seeking redress against thee ; verily my advice will reach thee in regard to that matter, if it please God." And when they read the letter, they were terrified and confounded, and they turned back to Medina, and Muhammad sealed the letter with the seals of the people who were with him, and gave it to a man among them, and they proceeded to Medina and assembled Talhah and az Zubayr and A'li and Saa'd and those who were among the Companions of Muhammad. Then they reopened the letter in their presence and informed them of the story of the slave, and read to them the letter. And there was not one of the people of Medina but was wroth against Othman, and it increased the wrath and anger of those who were enraged on account of Ibn Masa'ud, Abu Darr, and A'mmar-b-Yasir. And the Companions of Muhammad went to their homes there not being one among them, but he was grieved at what they had read in the letter. And the people besieged Othman, and Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr led against him the Banu Taym and

* The usual benediction foUo-ws this name, but I am inclined to tbink it has been inadvertently inserted, Muliammad here referring to the son of Abu Bakr and not to the founder of Islam. [ 164 ]

A. H. 35. others ; and when A'li saw that, he sent to Talhah and az Zubayr and A. D. 655-6. Saa'd and A'mmar and others of the Companions, all of them being men who had fought at Badr. Then he went to Othman taking with him the letter, the slave and the camel, and Ali said to him, " is this slave, thy ?" slave ?" He replied, " yes." He continued, " and this camel, thy camel He answered, " yes." He said, " then didst thou write this letter ?" He said, " no," and he swore by Allah, saying, " I did not write this letter,

nor command it to le written, nor have I any knowledge of it." A'li said

to him, " then is the seal thy seal ?" He answered, " yes." He said, " then how could thy slave go forth with thy camel, and with a letter upon

which is thy seal, thou knowing not of it ?" But Othman swore by the

Lord, saying, " I did not write this letter nor command it to he written, nor did I ever send this slave to Egypt." Now as to the writing, they recognised it to be the writing of Mar- wan, and they doubted regarding Othman, but demanded of him that he should give up to them Marwan, but he refused, Marwan being with him in the house. Then the Companions of Muhammad went forth from him much enraged, and they were in doubt regarding him for they knew that Othman would not swear falsely, save that some said, " Othman will not be absolved in our hearts, unless he giveth up to us Marwan, that we may interrogate- him and learn the affairs of the letter, and how he commanded the death of a man among the Companions of Muhammad without due

cause, and if it be Othman that vsrrote it, we will depose him, and if it be

Marwan that wrote it upon the suggestion of Othman, we shall consider what we shall do concerning Marwdn." And they kept to their houses, but Othman refused to give Marwan up to them, for he feared death for him. And the people besieged Othman and prevented him from obtaining

water ; he therefore looked down upon the people from above and exclaim-

ed, " Is A'li among ye ?" And they said, " no." He said, " is Saa'd " among ye ?" They replied, no'' ; then he was silent. Again he exclaimed, " Will not any one inform A'li that he may give us water to drink ?" Ali was then informed of this and he sent three large leathern water bottles

filled with water, but it was nigh unto not reaching him, for a number of the freedmen of the Banu Hashim and the Banu Umayya were wounded

on account of it until the water reached him. A'li was then informed that the death of Othman was sought, and he said, " verily we desire of him MarwAn, but the death of Othman—no," and he said to al Hasan and al Husayn, " go ye with your swords until ye stand over the door of Othmdn and suffer not any one to go in to him." And az Zubayr sent his son and Talhah sent his son, and a number of the Companions of Muhammad sent their sons to prevent the people from going into Othmdn, and to demand the surrender of Marwan. And when Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr [ 165 ]

saw that, and that the people had shot arrows against Othman, until al A. H. 35. Hasan was stained with blood at his door, and an arrow had reached Mar- A. D. 655-6. wan who was inside the house, and Muhammad the son of Talhah was dyed with Mood and Kanbar the freedman of A'li had his head broken, then Mu- hammad-b-Abi Baki- feared that the Banu Hashim might be angered at the -condition of al Hasan and al Husayn and provoke a tumult, so he took the

hands of two men and said to them, " if the Banu Hashim arrive and see the blood upon the face of al Hasan, they will disperse the people from Othman, and what we desire will miscarry, but come with me until we climb above him upon the house, and slay him without any one's knowing

it. And Muhammad and his two Companions climbed from a house of a man of the Auxiliaries until they penetrated unto Othman, and not one

of those who were with him knew of it, for all those that were with him were upon the tops of the houses, and he was alone with his wife. Then Muhammad said to the two, " stay where ye are, for verily his wife is with him, so that I may enter before ye, and when I s6ize him, then come in and set upon him until ye slay him." And Muhammad entered and seized him by the beard, and Othman said to him, " by Allah, could thy father :" see thee, thy behaviour towards me would surely be hateful to him thereupon his hand relaxed its hold, but the two men went in to him and set upon him until tlW slew him, and then' came forth fleeing towards 'i/ whence they had entered. Then his wife screamed, but her screaming was not heard by reason of the clamour in the house, and she mounted up to the people, and said, '' verily the prince of the Faithful hath been slain." And the people entered and found him slain, and the news reached A'li, and Talhah and az Zubayr and Saa'd and those that were in Medina, and they set forth, for verily their senses left them at the news they had heard, until they went in to Othman and found him slain, and they repeated " the ejaculation : Verily we belong to God and unto Him shall we return" (Kur. II). Then A'li said to his two sons, " how was the prince of the

Faithful slain and ye two at his door ?" and he raised his hand and struck • al Hasan, and smote the breast of al Husayn, and reviled Muhanimad the son of Talhah and A'bdu'llah the son of az Zubayr, and went forth in great anger until he reached his house. Then the people hastened to him and said, " we swear thee allegiance, wherefore stretch out thy hand, for a chief is of necessity to us." And Ali said, " that belongeth not to me, —verily that is with the men of Badr, for with whomsoever the men of Badr are

content, he is Vicegerent."

But there was not one of the men of Badr, hut went to A'li and said, " we know none more deserving of it than thee—stretch forth thy hand that we may make a covenant with thee." And they swore allegiance to him, and Marwan and his son fled, and A'li went unto the wife of Othman . —

[ 166 ]

" " " A. H. 35. and said to her, who slew Othman ? She replied, I know not ; two A. D. 655-6. men went in to him, whom I do not recognize and with them was Muham- mad the son of Abu Bakr," and she informed A'li and the people of what Muhammad had done. And A'li sent for Muhammad and asked him concerning what the wife of Othman had mentioned, and Muhammad said " she hath not spoken falsely—verily, by Allah, I went in to him, and I purposed to slay him, but he bid me remember my father, and I stood off from him turning in repentance to God,—by Allah, I did not slay him nor hold him ;" and the wife of Othman said, " he hath spoken truly, but he brought the two within." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Kananah the freedman of

Safinah, and others, that it was one of the Egyptians, a man with blue eyes and ruddy complexion that slew Othman—he was called Himar. Ahmad records on the authority of al Mughirah-b-Shuu'bah, that he went into Othman, when he was beseiged and said, " thou art verily the Imam

of the people, and yet there hath befallen thee what thou seest ; and verily

now I place before thee three courses ; choose one of them. Either go forth and fight them, for surely with thee are numbers and force, and thou art in the right and they are in the wrong—or cut open for thyself a door, other than the door over which they stand, and mount thy camel and get

thee to Mecca, for they will not hold it lawful to slay thee while thou art there,—or betake thee to Syria, for verily the people of Syria, among them is Mu'awiyah." But Othman said, " if I go forth and fight, I cannot be

the first of those who have succeeded the Apostle of God, to shed blood

and if I set out for Mecca, then have I heard the Apostle of God say, " a man of the Kuraysh shall be buried in Mecca upon whom shall be half the chastisement of the world"—and I shall not be he—and if I betake me to Syria, then I cannot forsake the city of my Flight, and the neighbourhood of the Apostle of God." Ibn A'sdkir records on the authority of Abu Thaur al Fahami that he narrates, " I went in to Othman while he was besieged and he said, " I have laid up with my Lord ten things—^verily I was one of four in Islam—and the Apostle of God gave me his daughter in marriage—afterwards she died and he gave me in marriage his other daughter—and I never courted* nor sought Jier, nor have I applied my right hand to an unworthy use, since I made a covenant of allegiance with it, with the Apostle of God,—and never has a Friday passed over me since I became a Muslim, but I freed a

slave, except when I had nothing in my possession, when I would free one afterwards,—and I have never committed fornication either in the time of Ignorance or Isldm—and never have I stolen either in the time of Igno- rance or Islam—and verily I collected the Kuran in the time of the Apos- tle of God."

* It may also moan—" I nover onriclied mysolf—nor dosivod might [ 167 ]

The assassination of Othmdn took place in the midst of the three days A. IT. 35. next after the day of sacrifice,* in the year 35. It is also said that he A. D. 055-6. was slain on Friday thg 18th of Du'l Hijjah (I7th June, 656) and was buried on Friday night between sunset and night-fall in Hash Kaukabf

in the cemetery, and he was the first buried therein. Others say that he was slain on Wednesday, and some, on Monday the 24th of Du'l Hijjah, and on the day he was slain, he was eighty-two years old. It is also said that he was eighty-one,—and eighty-four—and eighty-six—and eighty-eight or nine—and ninety. Katadah says that az Zubayr read prayers over him and buried him, Othman having charged him to do that. Ibn A'di and Ibn Asakir record from a tradition of Anas transmitted uninterruptedly from the prophet, " verily the Lord hath a sword sheathed in a scabbard as long as Othmdn liveth, and when Othman shall be

slain, that sword shall be drawn, and it shall not be sheathed until the day

of resurrection." A'mr-b-Kaid is the sole authority for this, and he is the author of traditions of unacknowledged authority. Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Yazid-b-Abi Habib that he said, " I have heard that the whole party that attacked Othman were all seized with insanity."

And from Hudayfah, that he said, " the beginning of seditions is the murder of Othman, and in the last times of sedition will be the coming

of Dajjal, and by Him in whose hand is my life, not a man shall die having in his heart a grain's weight of the desire of Othman's murder, but he would follow Dajjal, did he attain unto his time, and if he hath not attained unto his time, he will believe in him in his grave." And from Ibn A'bbas, that he said, " if the people had not sought the blood-wit of Oth- man, they would have been stoned from Heaven." And from al Hasan, that he said, " Othman was slain and A'li was absent on an estate belonging

it, " to him, and when he heard he exclaimed, O God ! verily I have not approved, nor abetted it." Al Hakim has recorded and verified on the authority of Kays-b-A'bbad that he narrates, " I heard A'li on the day of the Camel say, ' O God, I am guiltless before thee of the blood of Othman,' and verily my mind wandered on the day of the murder of Othman, and my spirit revolted, and they came to me to swear allegiance and I exclaimed, ' verily I am ashamed to make a covenant with a people that have slain Othman, and verily

* e. of Du'l Hijjah—these days were so called 7. the 11th, 12th and 13th ( (hi f\iJ!Si\ \ heoauae the flesh of the victims was therein out into thin stripes and dried in the sun. Lane. t A piece of ground hought hy Othman and attached to the cemetery at Medina, TaWt. [ 168 ]

A. H. 35. I am ashamed before God that allegiance should be sworn to me, while A. D. 655-6. Othmanisyet unburied.' Then they departed and when. the people re- allegiance turned, they questioned me concerning the covenant of ; I replied, ' O God, I am in fear for that which hath been done against Othman.' Then they came to a determination and swore allegiance and exclaimed, ' prince of the Faithful ;' and it was as if my heart was rent and I "* said, ' God, smite me on account of Othman until thou art content.' Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Abu Khaldah al Hanafi that he narrates, " I heard A'li say, ' verily the Banu Umayyah think that I put Othman to death, but no !^by that God besides whom there is no other God, I did not slay nor abet, nay, verily I forbade it but they disobeyed me.' And from Samurah, that he said, ' verily Islam was in a strong fortress, and verily they have made in Islam a breach by their slaying of

Othman, which will not be closed till the day of resurrection, and verily

the Caliphate was with the people of Medina, but they have cast it forth

and it shall not return to them.' And from Muhammad-b-Sirin, that he

said, ' the piebald horsesf were never missing in battles, and among the troops until Othmdn was slain, and never were there variations in the appearance of the new moons until Othman was slain, and the redness in the horizon of the sky was never seen until al Husayn was murdered." A'bdu'r Razzak records in his Musannaf on the authority of Hamid- b-Hilal, that A'bdu'llah-b-Saldm went to the besiegers of Othman, saying, " slay him not, for by Allah, not a man among ye shall slay him but he will meet the Lord mutilated, without a hand. And verily, the sword of God hath continued sheathed, but surely by Allah, if ye slay him, the Lord will indeed draw it, and will never sheathe it from ye—never was a prophet slain, but there were slain on account of him, seventy thousand, and never a Caliph, but there were slain by reason of him five and thirty thousand before the people were again united." And Ibn A'sakir from A'bdu'r Rahman-b-Mahdi, that Othman had two merits which belonged not to Abu Bakr nor to Omar, viz., his self-coUectedness until he was slain, and his uniting the, people upon owe text of the Kuran. And al Hakim from as Shaa'bi that he says, " I have not heard among the elegies on Othman, any more beautiful than the words of Kaa'b-b-Malik—

' He restrained his hands, and made fast his gate : And he knew that the Lord was not heedless.

These reiterated asseverations of his innooence have the air of conscious guilt.

Githon gives it as doubtful whether he was sincere in his oppositon^^to the rehela, and adds, that it is certain that he enjoyed the benefit of their crime. t Upon which, it is feigned that the angels were mounted who fought in tha Muslim ranks against the infidel. [ 169 ]

And he spake unto the people of the house, " slay ye them not A^Jl. 35. The Lord forgiveth every man that doth not contend." A. D. 655-6. Thou hast seen how the Lord hath poured out upon them Enmity and hatred, following harmony with one another. And thou hast seen how goodness turned fleeing afterwards From the people, with the jlight of hastening winds."

Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Musa-b-Talhah, that he said, " I saw Othman go forth on a Friday wearing two yellow coloured garments, and take his station at the pulpit, and the Muaddin was calling to prayers, while he was conversing, asking the people concerning their current prices and their news, and the sick among them." And from A'bdu'Uah ar Eumi, that Othman performed his ablutions at night himself, and it was said to him, " if thou didst order some of thy servants, they would

suffice for thee." He replied, " no, the night is for them that they may repose therein." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of A'mr the son of Othman-b- A'ffan, that the impression on the signet ring of Othman was, " I believe in Him who hath created and completely formed his creatures," (Kur. LXXXVII). And Abu ISTua'ym in the " Dalail," from Ibn Omar, that Jahjah al Ghifdri stood up before Othman while he was preaching, and seized his staff out of his hand, broke it across his knee, but the year did not pass by, before the Lord sent upon his foot a gangrene, of which he died.

On the thinffs in which he was foremost.

AI A'skari says in the Awail that he. was the first who bestowed gifts of revenue lands, and the first who enclosed pasturage, and the first who lowered his voice in pronouncing the Takbir, and the first who embellished the mosque at Medina, and the first who commanded the first call to prayers on the Fridays, and the first who gave stipends to tCe callers to prayer. He was the first who became impeded in his speech in preaching, whereupon he exclaimed, " ye people, the first mounting is a hard task, but after to-day, there are yet days and if I live the discourse will come to ye after its wont—for we were never preachers, but the Lord will teach us." (Ibn Saa'd.) He was the first who made: the discourse precede prayers on the Eed, and the first who committed to the discretion of the people the payment of their poor-rates, and the first who governed the Caliphate during the lifetime of his mother, and the first who established an enclosure in the mosque, a constabulary, and the first who set apart in 22 —

[ 170 ]

A. H. 35. ' fear lest there slaould befall him what befell Omar. Thus much is men-

A D. 655-6. tioned by al A'skari. He adds, that the first occasion in which dissension fell among the people, and some accused others of error, was in his time, concerning the things for which they censured him—before that they dif- fered in matters of jurisprudence but did not accuse each other of error. I note that there remain of the things in which he was foremost, the following, viz., that he was the first of this people who emigrated with his family for the sake of God, as hath gone before, and the first who united the people upon one text in the reading of the Kurdn. Ibn A'sakir records from Hakim-b-A'bbdd-b-Hanif that the first laxity that shewed

itself in Medina when the world waxed prosperous and the fatness of men reached its height, was the flying of pigeons* and the shooting withf cross- bows. Othman appointed over this a man of the Banu Layth in the eighth year of his Caliphate, and he cut the wings of the pigeons and broke the hows. Among the distinguished people who died during Othman's time, were, Surakah-b-Malik-b-Ju'shum—Jabbar-b-Sakhr—Hatib-b-Abi Baltaa'h I'yadh-b-Zuhayr. —Abu TJsayd as Sai'di—As-b-u's Samit—Harith-b- Naufal—A'hdu'Uah-b-Hudafah—Zayd-b-i^^harijah, he who spake after death—Labid the poet—Al Musayyab, the father of Sa'id—Mu'ad-b-A'mr b-'il Jamiih—Ma'bid-b-u'I A'bbas—Mu'aykab-b-Abi Fatimah ad Dausi Abu Lababah-b-Abdi'l Mundir, Nua'ym-b-u'I Masa'ud al Ashja'i and

others of the Companions ; and besides the Companions, Hutayah the poet, and Abu Duayb the poet, of the tribe of Hudayl.

A'LI-B-ABI TA'LIB.

A'li was the son of Abu Tdlib. The name of Abu Tdlib was A'bd Mandf, the son of Abdu'l Muttalib, whose name was Shaybah, the son of Hashim. Hashim's name was A'mr, son of A'bd Manaf, and the latter's name, al Mughirah, the son of Kusayy, whose name was Zayd-b..Kilab-b- Murrah-b-Kaa'b-b-Luayy-b-Ghalib-b-Fikr-b-Malik-b-Nadr-b-Kananah. Se was called Abu'l Hasan, and Abu Turab, which names the prophet gave him as surnames. His mother was Fatimah, the daughter of Asad, the son of Hashim, and she was the first Hashimite woman givino- birth to a Hashimi, that had been converted to Islam and taken part in the Flight. A'li was one oi Vne iQn io -vihom th^ attainment of VaxzAim

* For wagers.

t For ^ in the printed edition the MS. has 4j both forms are allowable. [ 171 ]

was testified, and the brother of the Apostle of God in the J'raternal Union* A. H. 35. and his son-in-law through Fdtimah, the queen of womankind. He was A. D. 655-6. also one of the earliest converts to Isldm and one of the most learned doctors of divinity and renowned heroes and famous ascetics and most celebrated preachers. He was one of those who collected the Kurdn and read it under the tuition of the Apostle of God, and Abu'l Aswad ad Duali,t Abu Abdu'r Rahman as Sulami,J and Abdu'r Eahmdn-b-Abi Laylah§ read under his tuition.

He was the first Caliph of the Banu Hdshim and the father of the two grandsons Muhammad. of He embraced Islam early ; indeed Ibn A'bhas and Anas and Zayd-b-Arkam and Salman al Farisi, and others have

said that he was the first who embraced Islam, and some say that there is a consensus for this.

Abu Ya'la records on the authority of A'li that he said, " the Apostle of God was sent on his prophetic mission on Monday and I became a Muslim on the Tuesday." His age when he was converted was ten years and some say nine, and some eight, and others, under that." Al Hasan-b-Ziiyd-b-i'l Hasan says, that he never worshipped idols from his infancy. (Ibn Saa'd.) When the prophet fled to Medina, he commanded him to remain behind at Mecca for some days, in order to discharge for him certain trusts and charges and bequests which were incumbent on the prophet, and then join him with his family, and he did so and was present with the Apostle of God at Badr and Ohud and all the expeditions except Tabiik, for verily the prophet had appointed him his Vicegerent at Medina. Throughout all these operations, his services were conspicuous, and the prophet gave him the standard to ca/rry on many battle-fields. Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab says that A'li received on the day of Ohud sixteen wounds. It is established in the Sahihayn that the prophet gave him the standard on the day of Khaybar and told him that victory would be at his hands. The accounts of his bravery, and his services in the wars are well-known. " A'li was advanced in years, stout, bold, very hairy, of middle stature, inclining to shortness, full-bellied, with a very large beard white as cotton which filled the space between the shoulders, and very tawny-complexioned.

* Muhammad united tiie Fugitives and Auxiliaries in the brotlierhood of Islam, each man taking a brother. Muhammad's choice was A'U. Hamzah took Zayd-h- Harith—and Jaa'far AU's brother, took Muad-b-Jabal. For the rest consult Ibn Hisham. t A'bu'l Aswad Dhalim-b-A'mr-b-Sufyan Kadhi of Basrah of which town he was a native. He was one of the Tabi'is and the first who gave lectures on grammar. An Nawawi. X See note * p. 156. § See note % p. 45. [ 172 ]

A. H. 35. Jabir-b-A'bdu'llah says that A'li on the day of Khaybar, carried the gate-

A. D. 655-6. upon his back, so that the Muslims got upon it and took the fort, and indeed they dragged the gate afterwards, but it took forty men to lift it. (Ibn A'sakir.) Ibn Ishak has recorded in the Maghazi and Ibn A'sakir, on the authority of Abu Eafi',* that he said, " A'li seized a gate near the

fort, the fort of Khaybar, and used it as a buckler to guard himself, and

it continued in his hand while he was fighting, until the Lord gave us the

victory. Then he cast it from him, and verily I know that we eight men tried to turn over the same gate, and we were not able to turn it over." Al Bukhari narrates in the Adab on the authority of Sahl-b-Saa'd, that the dearest of his own names to A'li was Abu Turab, and that he

was well pleased to be called by it. It was the prophet alone who named him Abu Turab, and that because, one day being angry with Fatimah, he went forth and lay down by the wall in the mosque, and the prophet came up, and verily A'li's back was covered with dust The prophet there-

fore began to brush the dust from his back and to say, " sit up, father of dust." {^Abu Turab.) Five hundred and eighty-six traditions are ascribed to him, on the direct authority of the Apostle of God, and traditions have been related on his authority by his three sons, al Hasan, al Husayn,

and Muhammad-b-u'l Hanafiyah ; —by Ibn Masa'ud and Ibn Omar,—Ibn A'bbas—Ibn uz Zubayr—Abu Musa—Abu Sa'id—Zayd-b-Arkam—Jabir- b-Abdu'Uah,—Abu Imamah—Abu Hurayrah and others of the Companions and Tabi'is, upon all of whom be the approbation of God.

On the traditions transmitted regarding Ms merit.

The Imam Ahmad-b-Hanbal says, "there hath not come down to us regarding the merits of any one of the Companions of the Apostle of God, what hath been transmitted concerning A'li." (Al Hakim.) The two Shaykhs record on the authority of Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkas, that the Apostle of God left A'li-b- Abi Talib behind as his Vicegerent during the expedition of Tabuk, and A'li said, " Apostle of God, dost thou leave me behind among the women and children ?" He replied, "art thou not content to be to me in the relation of Aaron to Moses, save that there shall be no prophet after me ?" And from Sahl-b-Saa'd that the Apostle of God said on the day of Khaybar, " I wiU surely give the standard to-morrow to a man, at whose hands the Lord will give victory, one who loveth God and

* " Abu Eafe" says Gibbon with characteristic humour in relating this story, " was an eye-witnesa, but who shall be witness for Abu Uafo f" [ 173 ]

His prophet and whom God and His prophet love," and the people passed A. H. 35. the night in perplexity as to the one among them to whom it would be A. D. 655-6. given. And when they entered upon the dawn, they went early to the Apostle of God, each qfall of them hoping that it would be given to him, but he said, " where is A'li the son of Abu Talib ?" They said to him, " he complaineth of pain in his eyes." He replied " then send for him ;" and they brought him and the Apostle of God spat upon his eyes and

prayed for him, and he was healed so that it was as if he had no pain, and he gave him the standard. Muslim records on the authority of Saa'd-

b-Abi Wakkas, that when this verse, "Let us all together, our sons and your sons," (Kur. Ill), was revealed, the Apostle of God summoned A'li and Fatimah, and al Hasan and al Husayn, said, " God, these are my family." And al Tirmidi^ from the prophet, that he said, " he whose friend I have been, A'li is also his friend ;" and in some of the readings there is this addition, " God, befriend him who is a friend to A'li and, be an enemy to him who is an enemy to A'li ;" and in a tradition of Ahmad from Abu Tufayl* the latter says, " A'li assembled the people in the enclosure before the mosque, and said, ' I ask in the name of God, of every Muslim that heard the Apostle of God speak on the day of Ghadir Khumm,t what he said, when he arose.' Then there stood up before him thirty of

the people, and they bare witness that the Apostle of God said, ' he whose friend I have been, A'li is also his friend,— God, befriend whomsoever is a friend to him, and be an enemy to him who is his enemy.' " And at Tir- nidi and al Hakim, verified, on the authority of Buraydah, that the Apos- tle of God said, ." verily the Lord enjoined upon me the love of four men, and declared unto me that He loved them." They said to him, " Apostle of God, name them to us.'' He replied, ''A'li is among them;" (this lie said three times), " and Abu Darr and Mikdad and Salman." And at Tir- Nasai, and Ibn Majah from Hubshi-b-Junadah,J that the Apostle , nidi, an of God said, " A'li is a part of me and I of A'li." And at Tirmidi from Ibn Omar, that the Apostle of God united his Companions in a fraternal

union, and A'li approached with his eyes filled with tears, and said, "

* Atu Tufayl A'amir-'b-'Watliilah.-'b-A'bdi'llali one of the Companions. Accord- ing to Muslim lie died A. H. 100, the last of the Companions. Ibn Hajr.

t A pool near Juhfah between Mecca and Medina ; it received the name of Khumm from a dyer so called, according to Zamakshari. The SHias assert that it was here that Muhammad preached and constituted A'li his successor by his words that follow. Mawla may signify master as well as friend, and is thoir interpretation of the tradition. % ^ubshi-b-Junadah-b-Nasr-b-Imamah as Saluli, one of the Companions. He accompanied the Pilgrimage of Farewell and then settled at Kufah. According to al A'skari he took part in some of A'li's battles. Ibn Hajr. [ 174 ]

A. TI. 35. Apostle of God, thou hast united in brotherhood thy Companions, but hast A. D. 655-6. not made a brotherhood between me and between any one," and the Apos- tle of God replied, " thou art my brother in this world and the next." Muslim records on the authority of A'li that he said, " by Him who hath cleft the seed and created the soul, verily the Illiterate prophet pro- Inised me, that none but a true believer should love me, and none but a hypocrite hate me." And at Tirmidi from Abii Sa'id al Khudri that he said, " we used to distinguish the hypocrites by their hatred to A'U." And at Tirmidi and al Hdkim from A'li, that the Apostle of God said, " I am

the city of wisdom and A'li is its gate." This tradition is reasonably good, but not perfect, as al Hakim asserts, nor fabricated as a number of others,

among them, Ibn Jauzi and an Nawawi maintain : indeed, I have explained

its position in the appendices to the Fabricated Traditions. Al Hakim records and verifies on the authority of A'li, that he said, " the Apostle of God sent me to Yaman,* and I said, ' O Apostle of God, dost thou send me—and I a youth-^to judge between them, while I know ?' not the office of a judge and he struck my breast with . his hand and said, ' God,' direct him aright and confirm his tongue,' and by Him who hath cleft the seed, I never hesitated in my judgment between two

parties." And Ibn Saa'd from A'li, that they said to him, " How is it that thou hast the most traditions of any of the Companions of the Apostle of God ?" He replied, " verily whenever I asked'of him he informed me, and when I was silent, he began a discourse with me." And from Abu

Hurayrah, that Omar-b-u'l Khattab said, " A'li is the best of us in judicial decision." And from Ibn Masa'ud, that he said, " we used to declare

' that the best j udicial authority among the people of Medina, was A'li. ' And from Ibn A'bbas, " whenever a trustworthy person tells me a judgmentf

of A'li's, I do not deviate from it." And from Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, that Omar-b-u'l Khattab used to beg God to preserve him from a perplexing

case which the father of al Hasan was not present to decide ; and, that Omar

said, " none of the Companions used to say ' ask ye of me,' except A'li." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Ibn Masa'ud that the most learned of the people of Medina in the law of inheritance and in judicial decisions was A'li. And from Ayesha, that when A'li was mentioned to

her, she said, " verily he is the most learned in the Sunnah that is left,"

* In A. H. 10, Muhammad sent A'li to Yaman to summon the people to Islam. He had already despatched Khalid-h-u'l "Wali'd, whose efforts had been unsuccessful On A'li's arrival, he read Muhammad's letter to the people of Yaman, and the whole tribe of Hamdin wore converted in a single day. The remainder shortly afterward, followed their example. Ibn u'l Athir. Kamil, Vol. II.

t The MS. has ^i^*^ instead of ^^Jt of the printed edition. [ 175 ]

Masriik* says that the wisdom of the Companions culminated in Omar, A. H 35. A'li, Ibn Masa'dd and A'bdu'Uah. . A. D. 655-6. A'bdu'llah-b-Ayyash-b'iA'bi Eabii'h says that A'li had an exceedingly biting tooth for knowledge, and be had pre-eminence by reason of his family connections, and priority in Islam, and his being the son-in-law of the Apostle of God, and his knowledge of the Sunnah, and intrepidity in war and liberality with his wealth. At Tabarani records in the Ausat on a weak ascription from Jabir-b-A'bdi'llah, that the Apostle of God said, " the people are of various stocks but I and A'li are of one stock." And at Tabarani and Ibn Abi Hatim from Ibn A'bbas that he said, " the Lord never revealed the wordsf ' O true believers' but that A'li was imder- stood to he, the lord and chief of them, and verily the Lord hath reproved the Companions of the prophet in various places, but hath never mentioned A'li save with approval." And Jbn A'sakir from Ibn A'bbas that there hath not been revealed in the Book of God regarding any one what hath been revealed concerning A'li, and that three hundred verses have been revealed concerning A'li. Al Bazzar records on the authority of Saa'd, that the Apostle of God said to A'li, " it is not lawful for any one to be in the mosque, while under the obligation of performing a total ablution except for me and for thee." And at TabarAni records and al Hakim likewise, verifying on the authority of Umm Salmah that she said, " when the Apostle of God was angered, none dared speak to him but A'li." And from Ibn Mas'ald that the prophet said, " to look upon A'li is devotion." And at fabarani in the Ausat from Ibn A'bbas that he said, " A'li possessed eighteen eminent qualities which belonged to no other of this people." And Abu Ya'la from Abu Hurayrah that Omar-b-u'l Khattab said, " verily A'li

hath been endowed, with three qualities, of which had I but one, it would ^be more precious to me than were I given high bred camels." It was " asked of him what they were ; he replied, his marriage with Fatimah, daughter of the prophet, his remaining in the mosque while that is permitted to him which is not lawful for me, and his carrying the standard on the day of Khaybar." And Ahmad and Abu Ya'la according to a sound ascription from A'li that he said, " I have never had a disorder of the eyes, nor an ache of the head, since the Apostle of God, drew his hand over my face, and spat upon my eyes on the day of Khaybar when he gave me the standard." And Abu Ya'la and al Bazzar from Saa'd-b-Abi Wak-

* Abu Ayesha Masruk b-u'l Ajdaa' of Kufah one of tlie Tabi'is. He is regarded as an autbentio relator of traditions and was devoted to tbe aoq^uisition of knowledge, died A. H. 62-3. An Uawawi. t Kur, XXXIII ^assm. "—

[ 176 ]

A. H. 35. kas, that the Apostle of God said, " who grieveth A'li, grieveth me." And A, D. C55-6. at Tabarani. according to a sound ascription from U'mm Salmah, that the Apostle of God said, " he who hath loved Ali, verily he hath loved me, and who hath hated A'li, verily he hath hated me, and who hath hated me, verily he hath hated the Lord." Ahmad records and al Hakim verifying it on the authority of Umm

Salmah that she narrates, " I heard the Apostle of God say, ' he who hath reviled A'li, verily he hath reviled me.' " And from Abu Sa'id al Khudri,

that the Apostle of God said to A'li, " verily thou wilt do battle for the Kuran, as thou hast done battle for its revelation." Al Bazzar, Abu Ta'la and al Hakim record from A'li, that he said, " the Apostle of God sum-

moned me and said, ' verily there is in thee a similitude to Jesus the Jews hated Him to that degree that they slandered His mother, and the Nazaranes so loved Him, that they gave Him a dignity that He hath not,—now verily, by reason of me two classes of men shall perish the enthusiastic partizan that speaketh in extravagant praise of what is not in me, and the enemy whose hatred of me bringeth him to slander me.' At Tabarani records in the Ausat and Saghir* from Umm Salmah

that she narrates, " I heard the Apostle of God say, ' A'li is with the Kuran and the Kuran with A'li—they shall not be divided until they arrive at the fountain of Kauihar in Paradise.'' " And Ahmad and al Ha- kim from A'mmar-b-Yasir, according to a sound ascription that the prophet said to A'li—"the most miserable of mankind are two men—the fair man of the tribe of Thamudf who hamstrung the camel, and he who

shall smite thee, A'li, upon this (meaning the top of his head) until this, (meaning his beard) shall be moistened with its blood." And al Hakim

records, verifying it on the authority of Abu Sa'id al Khudri, that he said, " the people complained of A'li, and the Apostle of God arose among us

preaching and exclaimed, ' complain not of A'li, for by Allah, verily he is^ somewhat rough in respect of that which is due to God, and for the sake " of God.' Ibn Saa'd says that allegiance was sworn to A'li as Caliph, the day

after the murder of Othman, at Medina, and all those of the Companions who were there acknowledged him, and he adds that Talhah and az Zuhayr swore allegiance unwillingly, and not of free accord. They subsequently departed for Mecca where Ayesha was, and they took her and went forth ' with her to Basrah seeking vengeance for the blood of Othman, This reaching A'li, he set out for Irak, and met at Ba§rah, "Talhah, az Zuhayr, and Ayesha and those that were with them. This was the battle of the

Camel which took place in Jumada'l Akhirah in the year 36 A. H. In it

• See Sale, notes/, g. h. page 1^4. The man's name Was Kedar.

t See Note t, p. 13. [ 177 ]

36. were slain Talhah and az Zubayr and others, and the slain amounted to -^- H. thirteen thousand, and A'li remained at Basrah fifteen nights and then set -A-. B. 650-7. forth for Kiifah. After this Mu'awiyah-b-A'bi Sufyan and those that were with him in Syria, rose against him, and the news reached A'li and he marched forth and they met at Siffin in Safar of the year 37. The engagement lasted for days, and the men of Syria lifted up the Kurans on the points of their lances demanding their rights therein contained, a stratagem of A'mr-b-u'l Aas. The people were thus loth to fight and clamoured together for a reconciliation, and they appointed two arbitrators. A'li appointed Abu Musa al Asha'ri, and Mu'awiyah, A'mr-b-u'l A'as,.and they wrote between them a document to the effect that they should meet

at the beginning of the year al Adruh* and consider concerning the government of the nation. The people then separated and Mu'awiyah returned to Syria and A'li to Kiifah. Then there arose against him schismatics from among his companions and those that were with him, and they said, " judgment belongeth only to God," and they encamped at Hardra. A'li sent to them Ibn A'bbas, and he contended with them and convinced them by argument, and a large body of them returned, but some remained firm and marched to an Nahrawan and obstructed the road, A'li then went out against them and overthrew them at an Nahrawan, and among them was slain Du at Thudayyah,t and that was in the year 35. And the people assembled at Adruh in Shaa'ban of that year, and Saa'd-b-Abi Wak- kas and Ibn Omar, and others of the Companions were present. A'mr cunningly gave precedence of himselfj to Abu Miisa who spoke and deposed

A'li ; then A'mr spoke and confirmed M'uawiyah and swore allegiance to him. The people separated upon this, and Ali thus became opposed to his Companions, so that he bit his finger with rage and said, " I have been rebelled against and Mu'awiyah is submitted to." Then there gathered together three men of the schismatics, A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Muljam al Mu-

* In the district El-Belka in Syria. t This person, whose real name is not given by Ibn Hajr, lived in the time of Muhammad, and -^as noted for his exceeding devotion and piety though not a Muslim, Muhammad said that he was diabolically possessed, and Abu Bakr and Omar went into hia house to kill him, but finding him in prayer, withdrew. He was found among the slain at Nahrawan, and he is said to have resembled a Nubian in appearance with one breast like that of a woman (hence his name) upon which were small hairs like that upon the tail of the Jerboa. Ibn Hajr.

X When the two Arbitrators met , they agreed that each should depose his master, and then proceed to adjudicate their respective claims. A'mr pleading the seniority and age of Abu Mdsa, courteously insisted on his initiating the deposition, which having been done, A'mr declared that since one of the claimants had renounced his pretensions, the best course to pursue was to confirm the other which was accordingly done. 23 [ 178 ]

A. H. 37. i-adi, and al Burk-b-A'bdi'llali at Tamimi, and A'mr-b-Bukayr at Tamimi, A. D. 657-8. and they i^et at Mecca, and entered into a covenant and bound themselves by a league that they would certainly slay those three, A'li-b-Abi Talib, Mu'awiyah-b-Abi Sufyan, and Amr-u'l A'as, and free the people said, " al from them ; and Ibn Muljam I will take Ali for ye," and Burk " said, " I will take Mu'awiyah for ye," and A'mr-b-Bukayr said, I will

suffice for ye for A'mr-b-u'l A'as." And they pledged themselves that it should be on the same night, the night of the 11th or the 17th of Rama- dhan. Then they went each of them to the city where his man was, and Ibn Muljam arrived at Kufah, and met his companions of the schismatics, but he concealed from them what they intended to do on the night of Friday the 17th of Eamadhan of the year 40. And A'li awoke in the morning and said to his son al Hasan, " I saw in the night the Apostle of God, and I said, ' Apostle of God, what have I not met at the hands of

thy people, of oppression and contention ?' and he said to me, ' call the curse of God. upon them.' And I said, 'O God, give in exchange between me and them their good to me, and take in exchange between them and me my evil, for them.' Upon this Ibn u'l Nabbah the Muaddin

entered, and exclaimed, ' to prayers,' and A'li went forth from the door crying out, ' O people—to prayers—to prayers' and Ibn Muljam came before him, and smote him with a sword, and it struck the top of his forehead and reached his brain. Then the people rushed upon him from every side, and seized and bound him. And A'li lingered Friday and Saturday, and died on Saturday night* (2lst January 661) and al Hasan, al Husayn and A'bdu'llah-b- Jaa'fa] bathed him, and al Hasan read prayers over him, and he was buried in the night in the palace at Klifah. The limbs of Ibn Mul-

jam were cut off, and he was put into an osier basket and burnt in the fire."

This is the whole narrative of Ibn Saa'd, ai^^ verily he has done well in his account of this event, and has not amplified his narrative as others have done, for it is more suitable for this occasion. Muhammad has said " when my Companions are mentioned, refrain from speaking"—and he adds, " sufficient for my Companions, is the mention of their death."t In the Mustadrak, it is recorded on the authority of as Suddi,t that

* Weil notices that thougli Friday the 17th of Ramadhan A. H. 40 is generallv stated the on A'li wounded, to he day which was the 17th of the month actually fell on a Sunday. He thinks it prohahle that the day of his death was ia later times confounded with that on which he was stahhed.

regarding the it. t Without details manner of Such is the only sense I can extract from the passage. The MS. has JUwf tjla^l which is to me unintelligible.

X The Professor Abu Muhammad Hibat-u'UAh-b-Sahl-h-Omar, al Bastftmi, generally known as Suddi. IIo explained the Muwatta of Malik to al Muwayj'ad at Tiisi. IbulihaU. : —

[ 179 J

A'bdu'r Rahman-bMuljam al Muradi loved a woman of tlie Schismatics A. H. 40.

called Katam, and he married her and assigned for her dowry three thou- ^ D. (joi. sand dirhams and the slaying of A'li. With reference lo this al b'arazdak* has said,

" I have not seen a dowry sent by a generous man Like unto tha dowry of !^Catam, manifest—not obscure. Three thousand dirhams, and a slave and a maid And the smiting of A'li with a cleaving sword.

For there is no dowry be it ever so costly, costlier than A'li

And no criminal violence but is less than the violence of Ibn Muljam.f"

Abu Bakr-b-A'yyash says, that the grave of A'li was kept concealed

in order that the Schismatics might not dig it up, and Sharik states that his son al Hasan carried him to Medina. Al MubarradJ states on the authority of Muhammad-b-Habib, that the first who was transferred from one grave to another was A'li. Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Sa'id-b-Abdi'l A'ziz, that when A'li was slain, they took him to bury him by the apostle of God, and while

they were on their road one night, lo ! the camel upon which he was borne,

fled away and it was not known whither it went, nor could they overtake

it, and for this reason the people of I'rak say that he is in the clouds. Others assert that the camel came into the land of Tayy, and they took

the hoSy and buried it. A'li when he was slain was sixty-three years of age, and some say sixty-four, and sixty-five and fifty-seven, and fiftif-eight. He had nineteen concubines.

* Atu Fira3 Hammam-'b-GhalilD-b-Sa'sa'a, a celetrated poet of the tribe of Tamim.

The anoedotes told of him are very numerous ; the reader should consult Ibn Khali who has a long article on his wit and adventures, the latter not very reputable. He died at Basrah A. H. 110 (728-9) at the age of nearly a hundred. His surname Faraz- dak (lump of dough) was given him on account of his ugly face. this " t I do not foUow M. Barbier de Eeynard in his rendering of passage : TJne ame, si energique quelle soit vaut-elle 1' ame d' Ibn Moldjem." Les Praiiies d 'Or. Tom. IV. p. 428. al Mubarrad, a distinguished gram- X Abu'l A'bbas Muljammad-h-Yazid known as marian. Ha resided at Baghdad and composed numerous works on literary subjects such as al Kamil, arEoudhah and al Muktadhib. He was a contemporary of Thaa'lah the author of the Fasih, and with them terminated the series of the great philologers. He was horn A. H. 210 (826) and died at Baghdad A..H. 286 (899). His surname al Muharrad was given to him from his having been concealed in the wicker case of a large water jar ; his friend who had concealed him there to avoid an importunate visitor in search of him, called out as soon as the latter had gone, al Mubarrad, al Mu- Khali. barrad ! ( Who wants cool water). Ibn [ i«o 1

A. H. 40. A. D. 661. On some of the accotmts of A'li, Ids judicial decisions and

Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of al Hasan that he said, that when A'li entered Basrah there stood up before him Ibn u'l Kawwa, and 5ays-b-A'bbad, and said, " wilt thou not inform us concerning this course of thine on which thou goest, assuming authority over the people, involving them in confusion ? was it a charge of the apostle of God, that he laid upon thee ? tell us—for thou art firm and undeviating with regard to what thou hast heard." And he said, " as to there being on me a charge from the Apostle of God, concerning that,—no—by Allah—surely if I was the

first to maintain that he spoke truth, I will not be the first to put a lie upon him, and if I had received from the prophet a charge regarding that, I would not have suffered a brother* of the children of Taym the son of Murrah, nor Omar the son of al Khattab, to stand upon his pulpit, and I would surely have fought them with my own hand, even though I had not

got but this my garment ; but the apostle of God was not slain mur- derously, nor did he die suddenly, but he lingered some days and nights in

his illness, the Muaddin coming to him and summoning him to prayers. And he commanded Abu Bakr to pray before the people, though he knew my high consideration, and verily a woman among his wives desired to turn him from Abu Bakr, but he refused and was angered and said, " ye are the mistresses of Joseph— direct Abil Bakr to pray before the people." And when the Lord took his prophet, we looked into our affairs, and chose for our temporal interests, him whom he had approved for our reli-

gious affairs, for prayers were the fundamental principle of Islam and Abd Bakr was the chief of the faith and the pillar of the faith. We therefore

swore allegiance unto Abii Bakr, and he was worthy of it, not two of us being at variance over him, and none of us gave testimony against another, nor denied his privilege. I therefore discharged unto Abu Bakr his due, and acknowledged obedience to him and fought on his side in his armies and I ever accepted what he bestowed upon me and fought when he sent me to war and inflicted in his presence the prescribed castigation for offences with my scourge. And when he was taken away,

Omar assumed the Caliphate and governed it according to the in- stitutes of his Companion and what he knew of his polity. And we swore allegiance unto Omar, not two of us being at vai-iance over him,

* Abu Bakr. [ 181 ]

and none of us gave testimony against another, nor denied his privilege. A. H. 40. I therefore discharged unto Omar his due and acknowledged obedience to A. D. 661. him and fought on his side in his armies, and I ever accepted what he bestowed upon me, and fought when he sent me to war, and inflicted in his presence the prescribed castigation for offences with my scourge. And wlien he was taken away, I bethought me of my connections,' and my priority in Islam, and my precedence and my merit, and I considered that Omar would not hold any one equal to me, but he feared

that the Caliph after him would not commit a fault but it would attach

to him in his grave, therefore he withdrew from it, himself and his son,

and if there had been any partiality on his part he would surely have

chosen his son for it, but he threw the responsibility of it from himself on to a party of the Kuraysh, six in number, I being one of them. And when the party assembled, I thought that they would not hold any one equal to me, and A'bdu'r Eahman-b-A'uf took our engagements that we

should hear and obey whomsoever the Lord should place over our affairs.

Then he took Othman the son of A'ffan by the hand, and struck liis own

hand upon his hand, and I regarded my own conduct, and lo ! my submission had already preceded my allegiance, and behold my engagement had been taken for another. We therefoi'e swore allegiance unto Othman, and I discharged unto him his due, and acknowledged obedience to him, and fought on his side in his armies and I ever accepted what he bestowed upon me and fought when he sent me to war, and inflicted in his presence, the prescribed castigation for offences with my sourge. And when he was slain, I considered my own affairs, and lo ! the two Vicegerents who had assumed the government by virtue of the command of the Apostle of God unto them to read prayers, had passed away, and this one for whom the engagement had been taken, verily, was slain, therefore the people of Mecca and Medina and the men of these two cities,* swore allegiance unto me—but there hath usurped the government, one who is not like unto me and whose kinship is not as my kinship, nor his knowledge like unto my knowledge, nor his priority in the faith like unto my priority, and I had more claim to it than he."

Abu Nua'ym records in the Dalail, on the authority of the father of Jaa'far-b- Muhammad, that two men having an altercation, were brouo-ht before A'li who sat himself at the foot of a wall, and a man said to him " " the wall will fall down," and A'li said, Go to—God is a sufficient protector," and he decided between them, and arose, and then the wall fell.

* Eajrah and Kufah. [ 182 ]

" A. H. 40. It is recorded in the Tuyuriyat" with its ascription to the same A. D. 661. authority, that a man said to A'li, " we hear thee say in thy preaching '0 God make me righteous with that through which thou hast made righteous the orthodox Vicegerents, the rightly guided.' Who then are they ?" And his eyes filled with tears and he said, " they are my two friends Abu Bakr and Omar, the Imams of salvation, the two elders of Islam, and the two men of the Kuraysh who are followed after the Apostle of God. He who followeth those two, is preserved, and whoso goeth after their footsteps is directed aright over the Straight Bridge ahove Hell, and he who cleaveth unto those two he is of the company of the Lord." And A'bdu'r Bazzak records on the authority of Hujr al Madari, that he

narrates, " A'li said to me, ' how will it go with thee when thou art ordered

to curse me ?' I said, ' will that come to pass ?' He said, ' yes ;' I answered ' then what— shall I do ?' He said, ' curse me, but do not renounce me.' He adds, ' and Muhammad-b-Yusuf, the brother of al Hajjaj,

who was governor of Yaman ordered me to curse A'li' and I said, ' the prince hath commanded me to curse A'li, therefore curse ye him with the

curse of God,' and no one comprehended it but one man." At Tabarani records in the Ausat and Abu Nua'ym in the Dalail on the authority of Zaddn, that A'li was relating a tradition when a maa accused him of speaking falsely, and A'li said to him, " shall I curse thee if 1 have lied?" and he said, '• curse," and A'li cursed him, and he did not

quit the place till his sight left him. And from Zirr-b-Hubaysh* that two men were sitting down, eating their morning meal, and one of the two had five loaves, and the other three loaves, and when they had placed the meal

before them, a man passed and saluted them and they said, " sit down and eat," and he sat down and eat with them, and they shared equally in their meal the eight loaves, and the man arose and threw to them eight dirhams and said, " take these in exchange for what I have eaten belonging to ye

two and have received of your food." They then quarrelled over it and the owner of the five loaves said, " for me are five dirhams and for thee three," and the owner of the three loaves exclaimed, " I shall not agree unless the dirhams are divided equally between us ;" and they took their case before A'li the prince of the Faithful and related to him their adventure, and he said to the owner of the three, " verily thy companion hath offered to thee what he hath offered, and his loaves were more than thine, therefore be content with three." But he replied, " by Allah, I will not be satisfied with him except in my exact due." And A'li said, " in baie right thou shouldst have only one dirham and he seven dirhams." And the

* Aba Maryant Zirr-b-IJubaysh, n native of Kfifah one of the Tabi'is. lie was born in the time of Ignorance and died A, H. 82. An Niiwawi. [ 183 ]

" other said, A. H. 40. man said, " Good God !" and A'U answered, that is so." The A. D. 661. '' inform me of the grounds of this being my bare right, that I may acquiesce in it." A'li answered, " are there not in eight loaves, four and twenty thirds which ye have eaten and ye are three men ? and it is not will known who is the greatest eater amongst ye and who the least, you therefore be considered in your eating as equal." He went on, " now thou hast eaten eight-thirds, and verily thou hadst but nine-thirds, and thy companion eat eight-thirds, and Ije owned fifteen-thirds of which he eat eight—there remain of his, therefore, seven which the owner of the dirhams eat, and he eat of what belonged to thee one out of nine. There- fore for thee is one for thy one, and for him seven. " And the man exclaimed " now I am content." Ibn A'bi Shaybah records in the Musannaf on the authority of A'ta that a man was brought before A'li and two men testified against him that he had committed theft, whereupon A'li tools up a certain case in which

the people were concerned and threatened false witnesses . and said, "a false witness was never brought before me but I did to him such and such a thing." Then he summoned the two witnesses but could not find them, wherefore he let the accused go. Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of an ascription to the father of Jaa'far-b-Muhammad that the signet ring of A'li was of stamped coin,

the impression on it being " excellent is the Omnipotent God." And from A'mr the son of Othman-b-A'ffan that the impression on the signet ring

of A'li was, " the kingdom is the Lord's." And from al Madaini,* that when A'li entered Ktifah, one of the wise men of the Arabs went in to him and said, " by Allah, O prince of the Faithful, verily thou hast adorned the

Caliphate, but it hath not adorned thee, and thou hast exalted it, but it

hath not exalted thee, and it was more in need of thee than thou of it." And from Mujammi', that A'li used to sweep out the public treasury and then pray within it, in the hope that it would be testified in his favour

that he did not keep the state property within it withheld from the Muslims. Abu'l Kasim al Zajjaji narrates in his Dictations, that he had been told that the father of Abu'l Aswad said, " I went in unto the prince of the Faithful A'li and found him looking down in deep thought and I said to him " what art thou thinking over prince of the Faithful ?" He replied,

* Atu'l Hasan A'li-b-Muhammad a native of Madain, a client by enfranchise- ment (Mawla) to the family of A'bd Shams-b-A'bd Manaf. He was bom A. H. 135 (752-3) and died A. H. 225 (839-40.) He wrote upwards of twenty works on Mu hammad, and a number on the history of the §;uraysh, and the Umayyad and Abba- side Caliphs and other subjects. De Slane, Ibn Khali. :

[ 184 ]

40. " of the A. H. ' verily I have beard in this your city a faulty pronunciation D. composing a work on the principles A. 661. vowels ; I was therefore thinking of of the Arabic language." I exclaimed, " if thou doest this thou wilt give after- us life, and this language will be presei-ved amongst us." Three days " wards I went to him, and he threw me a writing in which was, In the name of God, the most Merciful the most Compassionate. Speech consists entirely of nouns, verbs and particles. A noun is that which denotes the thing named, and a verb is that which denotes the actiom named, and a,

particle is that which expresses a signification, being neither a noun nor a verb." Then he said, " examine it and add to it what may occur to thee know, O Abu'l Aswad, that objects are of three kinds, expressed, understood, and what is neither expressed nor understood, and verily the learned have vied with each other in the definition of what is neither expressed nor understood." Abu'l Aswad continues, " then I collected accordingly some parts of speech and showed them to him. Among them were particles governing the accusative. Of these I mentioned " verily" and " that,"* and " would that," and " perhaps" and " as if," but I did not include " but." He said to me " why hast thou omitted it ?" I replied, " I did not count it among them." He said, " yes it is among them, therefore add it to them." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Eabii'h-b-Najid that A'li said, " be among men like the bee among birds, for there is none among the birds but thinks them insignificant, but if the birds knew what of good

there is in their bellies, they would not think thus of them. Mix with the people with your tongues and persons and separate yourselves from them in deeds and in your hearts, for verily to a man shall be given that which he hath earned, and he shall appear at the day of resurrection with him whom he loveth." And from A'li that he said, " give ye a more urgent heed to the acceptance tefore Ood of your works rather than to the works themselves, for verily an action accompanied by the fear of God is

not of little account, for how can an action accepted by God, be of light estimation ?"t And from Yahya-b-Jua'dahJ that A'li said, " O ye bearers of the

Kuran, act ye according to it, for he is a wise man who hath understood and acted according as he hath understood, and whose knowledge hath

accorded with his works, and it shall come to pass that there shall be sects

* The MS. has also vy' " certainly not."

t The text of the printed edition is here incorrect for '•^i read '-'•*':! and for iJ^SJ^ read clkflA^

J Of the Kuraysh descended from Mabhzum, one of the Tabi'is. He was son of A'li'a sister. An Nawawi. [ 185 ].

carrying a knowledge that goeth not beyond their coUar-bonea, whose dis- A. H. 40. position is at variance with their exterior show, and whose works are A. D. 661. opposed to their understanding, sitting in a circle contending for superiority one with another, until a man will be wroth with his neighbour that he should sit by another than himself and leave him—such as these, their works in these their assemblies shall not ascend to God." And from A'li,

"the grace of God is the be'st guide, a good disposition the best companion, wisdom the best friend, and good breeding the best inheritance, and there is nothing more hateful than pride." And on the authority of al Harith that a man went to A'li and said, " tell me what is Tate." He replied, " it is a gloomy road—tread it not." He asked again, " tell me what is Fate." He " said, it is a deep sea—enter not upon it." Again he asked, " tell me what is Fate." He replied, " it is a mystery of God's which is hidden from thee, therefore seek not to penetrate it." He asked again, "tell me what is Fate." He exclaimed, " questioner, hath the Lord created thee for what He hath willed, or what thou hath willed ?" He replied " indeed for what He hath willed." Ali answered, " Then He will use thee as He thinketh fit."

He also records of the sayings of A'li.*

" Misfortunes have their terminations. When any one is in misfor-

tune, it must be that it will have an end : therefore it behoveth the wise

man when distress cometh upon him, to submit to it until its time is ac-

complished, for verily in repeUing it before the fulfilment of its term, there is an increase to its calamities."

It was said to A'li, " what is generosity ?" He replied, " that from

which the iniative proceedeth, for what cometh after a request is liberality and munificence."

A man went to A'li and praised him and spoke extravagantly, and it happened that A'li had heard somewhat of him before that, so he said to

him, " verily I am not as thou sayest, yet I am above that which is in thy heart."

" The punishment of sin is lukewarmness in devotion, and straitness of means, and the lessening of enjoyment. A lawful appetite is not sought to be gratified, but there cometh that which diminisheth it." A man said to A'li, and he secretly hated him, " may the Lord make thee firmly established." A'li replied, " upon thy heart," (on the authority of Ibn Eabii'h).

* A collection of one hundred and sixty-nine moral sentences, attributed to A'li is given by Ockley. See. Hist. Sar. p. 339. 24 : ! : — ; —

[ 186 ]

best A. H. 40. Abu Bakr, Omar and Othman used to versify * but A'li was tbe A. D. 661. poet of the three. (As Shaa'bi.) A'li He records likewise oa the authority of Nabit al Ashja'i that spoke this verse. f " When hearts contain despair, And the spacious breast is stifled by what is within it, And cares make their abode and repose, And sorrows anchor in their habitations, And no way is seen for the dispelling of distress, And the stratagem of the cunning availeth not, There shall come to thee in thy despair a helper

Whom the Answerer of prayer who is nigh, shall bring. For all sorrows when they have reached their term,

There is linked to them an approaching joy."

And on the authority of as Shaa'bi, that A'li said to a man to whom the society of another man was displeasing

" Consort not with a foolish brother, beware of him : For how many a fool hath corrupted the gentle when he hath frater- nised with him A man is judged by the man with whom he consorteth For there are comparisons and similitudes for one thing vrith another.

The measure of a sandal is made when it is matched with it. And the evidence of the feeling of one heart towards another is when they meet." And from al Mubarrad that upon the sword of A'li was inscribed

" Men lust after the world and plot for it,

Yet its clearness is mingled for thee with impurities.

They do not give thee of it thy portion, according to thy wisdom,

when it is distributed But men have their allotted shares according to their destinies,

How many there are of the wise and sagacious nnprospered : While a fool hath gained his wealth by his errors.

If it could be acquired by force and rapine, Falcons would swoop off with the subsistence of sparrows."

And on the authority of Hamzah-b-Habib az Zayyat that A'li used to speak this verse

• The expression j**«l uj^ ' he spoke poetry is used, for poetry was always

spoken by the Arats in classical times, and seldom written if written at all, until after the lifetime of the author. Lane, Art j*^ ;

C 187 ]

40. " Disclose not thy secret but to thyself, A. H. For every confidant, hath a confidant A. D. 681. For verily I have seen erring men, Who do not aspire to a high sense o£ honour."

He records likewise on the authority of U'kbah-h-Abi'l Sahba, that when Ibn Muljam stabbed A'li, al Hasan who was weeping went in unto him and A'li said, " my dear son, treasure in thy memory from me four things and yet four.'' He said, " what are they, father ?" He replied,

" wisdom is the richest treasure, and folly the greatest poverty, and the most hateful of what is odious is pride, and the noblest excellence a good disposition." Al Hasan said, " and the other four ? He replied, " beware thee of the companionship of a fool, for he will desire to profit thee and will do thee harm, and beware of the friendship of a liar, for he will bring nigh unto thee what is afar off and make distant from thee what is near at hand—and beware thee of the friendship of a miser, for he will withhold from thee what thou art most in need of—and beware thee of the friendship of a libertine for he will sell thee for a trifle." And from A'li that a Jew went to him and said, " when did our God exist ?" and the face of A'li flushed with anger and he said, " creation was

not and He was ; He was while yet there was no being : He existed without a cause—He was, having no beginning and no end—-all limits fall short of him, for he is the end of all ends," and the Jew embraced Islam. Ad Darraj, in his well known work, records on an obscure ascription to Shurayh. the Kadhi,* that when A'li set forth to SifKn, he lost a coat of mail belonging to him, and when the war was over, and A'li returned to Kufah the armour came into the hands of a Jew, and he said to the Jew, " the armour is my armour—I neither sold it nor gave it away." The Jew replied, " it is my armour and in my possession." A'li said, "let us go to the Kadhi," and A'li preceded him and sat by the side of Shurayh and said, " were not my opponent a Jew, I would assuredly sit on a level with him in the court, but I heard the apostle of God say, ' treat them with ignominy, for the Lord hath treated them with ignominy.' Shurayh said, ' proceed, prince of the Faithful.' And he said, ' yes—this armour which is in the hand of this Jew, is my armour—I neither sold it nor gave

it away.' Shurayh exclaimed, ' what dost thoa say, Jew ?' He replied,

* Abu Umayyah Shurayh al Harith-b-^ays of the tribe of Kinda. He was an eminent Tabi'i bom before the promulgation of Islam and appointed Kadhi of Kiifah by Omar—a post he held with scarcely any iaterruption for seventy-five years. He was one of the four persons called the smooth-faced chiefs (as S£dat at Tula) the others being A'bdu'llah-b-u'z Zubayr, Kays-b-Saa'd, and al Aljnaf-b-Kays. He died A. H.

87, at the age of one hundred years. Ibn Khali. [ 188 ]

A. 11. 40. 'it is my armour and in my possession.' Then Shurayh said, ' hast thou A. D. 6G1. any proof, prince of the Faithful ?' He said, " yes, Kanbar andal Hasan

are witnesses that the armour is my armour.' Shurayh replied, 'the

evidence of a son is not admissible in favour of a father ' A'li exclaimed,

' !' what ! the evidence of one among— the people of Paradise not admissible I heard the apostle of God say ' al Hasan and al Husayn are the two chiefs of the youth among the dwellers in Paradise.' The Jew said, ' the prince of the Faithful caused me to appear before the Kadhi and the Kadhi gave judgment against him,—I testify that this is the Truth—I testify that there is no God but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the apostle of " God and that this armour is thy armour.'

The discourses of A'li , in exposition of the Kuran are numerous and are fully treated in my commentary supported by their ascriptions. And verily Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of A'li that he said, " by Allah,

a verse of the Kuran was never revealed, but I knew regarding what it was

revealed and where it was revealed and concerning whom it was revealed, for my Lord hath given unto me a wise heart and an eloquent tongue." And he and others on the authority of Abii't Tufayl that A'li said, " ask ye me regarding the book of God, for verily there is not a verse but I

know whether it was revealed by night or day, in the plains or on the mountains." IBn Abi Dautid records from Muhammad-b-Sirin that he said, " when the Apostle of God died, A'li delayed to swear allegiance to Abd Bakr, and

Abd Bakr met him and said, ' art thou averse to my holding authority ?'

He said, ' no, but I have sworn not to put on my mantle except for prayers until I have collected the Kuran.' And they think that he wrote it accord-

ing to the order of its revelation." Muhammadb-Sirin adds, " if that book

were to be met with, there would be found in it much instruction."

On some of his short sententious maxims worthy of remark.

1. Precaution consists in evil opinion (recorded by Abu'l Shaykh-b- Hiyan).

2. He is near of kin whose kinship is affection though his relationship be distant, and he is remote whom enmity hath rendered distant

though his kinship be close, for there is nothing nearer to the body than

the hand, but when the hand is corrupted it is cut offi, and when cut off it is cauterised. (Abu Nua'ym.)

3. Take ye live maxims from me. 1. ' Let none of ye fear anything but his sin, 2. And hope for nothing but his Lord. 3. He who . ;

[ 189 ] knoweth not, let him not be ashamed to learn. 4. He who knoweth, let A. H. 40. him not be ashamed when he is asked concerniug what he knoweth not, A, D. 661. to say " God knows best." 5. Patience is to faith what the head is to the body ; when patience departeth, faith departeth, and when the head goeth the body goeth. (Ibn Mans'ur in his Sunan.)

4. The perfect doctor of the law is he who doth not make men despair of the mercy of God and is not indulgent to them in respect of their sii)s against God—and doth not proffer them immunity from the chastisement of. God and doth not willingly forsake the Kuran for other than it—for there is no profit in devotion in which there is no knowledge, and no knowledge unless accompanied by comprehension, and no proper reading of the Kurdn without meditation upon it. (Dhurays in the Fadhail u'l Kuran. (Excellencies of the Kuran.)

5. I make it incumbent upon myself when I am asked what I know not, to say God knoweth best. (Ibn A'sakir.) 6. He who seeketh to do justice unto men, let him desire for them what he desireth for himself. (Ibid.) 7. Seven things are of the devil. 1. Excessive anger. 2. Exces- sive sneezing.* 3. Excessive yawning. 4. Vomiting. 5. Bleeding at the nose. 6. Clandestine discourse. t 7. Sleeping during devotional exercise.

8. Eat ye the pomegranate for it is astomachic. (A'bdu'llah-b-Ahmad in the Zawaid u'l Musnad.)

9. Thy reading the Kuran under the tuition of a learned man, and his reading it to thee are equal in meritorioumess. (Al Hakim in his History.) time shall come upon the people when a true believer will be 10. A , more abject than a female slave. (S.a'id-b-Mansur.) And by Abu'l Aswad ad Duali is the following, eulogizing A'li.

" ! And now, eye, alas for thee ! come to my aid Now weep for the prince of the Faithful And let Umm Kulthiimt weep for him

" * It is also said in a tradition v^^^''' h^. J o*'^*^l 'r*"^ ol He (Muham- mad) used to like sneezing and dislike yawning," because the former is accompanied by lightness of body and openness of the pores, whereas in yawning the contrary is the case, hut the Arabs used to augur ill from sneezing, so that if a man were journey, ing and heard a sneeze, it prevented him from going on. With regard to yawning, it let is said, kiJii f^it!a-\ ijjIjJ lit "when any one of you yawns, him cover his the uncovered mouth," for it is believed, that the devil leaps into yawning mouth.

Lane. . ^Jkx^\ ^^ isy^\ l+JI Kur. LVIII. .J. Fatimah and wife of Omar. I The daughter of A'li by —

[ 190 ]

A. H. 40. With her flowing tears, for verily she hath beheld death.

A. D. 6G1. Now say to the schismatics wheresoever they may be : May the eyes of the envious never be refreshed. In the month of the Fast have ye made us to grieve For the best of all men universally. Ye have slain the best of those that have mounted steeds And tamed them or put foot upon a vessel,

Of those who wear and adjust sandals : And of those who read the Kuran and its perspicuous verses. And in him were the noblest virtues And the love of the Apostle of the Lord of created things. Verily the Kuraysh knew wheresoever they were, That thou wert the best of them in ancestry and faith. When I stood* before the face of the father of Husayn, I saw the radiance that shone above his eyes. And before his death we were happy, Beholding the son-in-law of the Apostle of God among us,

Establishing the truth in which there was no thought of evil,

And acting equitably between enemies and kinsmen ; Knowledge with him was not hidden. Nor was he created among the proud of heart. The people became when they lost A'li Like unto the ostrich bewildered in a country bare of herbage.

Eejoice not, Mu'awiyah, son of Sakhr :

For verily the continuance of the Caliphs is with us."

Of the distinguished persons who died during the time of A'li whether by a natural death or by violence were, Hudayfah-b-u'l Imam Az Zubayr-b-u'I A'wam—Talhah—Zayd-b-Siihan—Salman al Farisi Hind-b-Abi Halah and Uways al Kurani—Khabbab-b-u'l Aratt—A'mmar- b-Yasir—Sahl-b-Hanif—Suhayb-ar Kurni—Muhammad the son of Abu Bakr as Siddik—Tamim ad Dari—Khawwat-b-Jubayr—Shurahbil-b-as Samt—Abu Maysarah al Badri—Safwan-b-A'ssal—A'mr-b-A'nbasah Hisham-b-Hakim—Abu Kad freedman of the prophet and others.

* I prefer the reading of the first to the second person sing, and in this follow,

M. Eeynard in the Praiiies d 'Or. Tom. IV, p. 436. [ 191 ]

A. H. 40. AL HASAN-B-A'LI-B-ABl TALIB. A. D. 661.

Al Hasan was the son of A'li, tlie son of Abu Talib, Abu Muhammad, grandson of the Apostle of God, and his descendant, the last of the Caliphs according to his prediction.* Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of I'mran-b-Sulayman that al Hasan and al Husayn were two of the names of the dwellers in Paradise, the Arabs never having been named by those two in the time of Ignorance. Al Hasan was born in the middle of the month of Eamadhan in the

3rd year of the Plight. It is stated that he heard traditions from the prophet, and Ayesha and others of the Tabi'is—among them his son al Hasan, and Abu'l Haura Rablah-b-Shayban. As Shaa'bi and Abu Wail, have related traditions on his authority. He resenibled the prophet in appear- a)ice, and the prophet named him al Hasan and slaughtered a sheep as a sacrifice for him on the seventh day, and shaved his head and ordered that the weight of his hair in silver should be given in alms, and he was the fifth of the people of the mantle. t Al A'skari says that this name (al Hasan) was not known in the time of Ignorance. Al MufadhalJ says that the Lord concealed the names of al Hasan and al Husayn until the prophet named his two sons§ by them, and al Bukhari records on the authority of Anas that no one resembled the prophet more than al Hasan the son of A'li. The two Shaykhs record on the authority of al Bara that he said, " I saw the Apostle of God, with al Hasan upon his shoulder, and he was saying " God verily I love him, therefore love Thou him," And al Bukhari from Abu Bakr that he said, " I heard the prophet, while on the pulpit with al Hasan by his side, looking now upon the people, and now upon him, exclaim, ' verily this son of

• Muhammad is reported to have said, " the Caliphate shall continue after me thirty years and then shall he a kingdom." Muhammad died in the 11th year of the

Flight and J^asan's ahdioation was in the year 40 from whence it is plain, says al Bukhari that not only was Muhammad a prophet but Hasan was his rightful successor. Ook. Hist. Sar. p. 352. t When Mulbammad went forth to dispute with the amhassadors from the people of Najran on the suhjeot of religion he took with him A'li Fatima, al Hasan and al ^usayn, and some say gathered them under his mantle. See Sale, Kur. p. 44. J Ibn Khali gives two of the name, both philologers of eminence and authors of numerous works. One, Ahu Talib al Mufaddhal-b-Salama of the school of Kufah. The other Abul A'bhas al Mufaddhal-b-Muhammad-b-Ya'la, a native of Kufah author of the Mufaddhal, died A. H. 168.

§ They were always looked upon by him in the light of his children, his own having died at an early age. [ 19a ]

A. H. 40. mine is a prince and perchance the Lord will unite through his means, the A. D. 661. two contending parties o£ the Muslims.'* And from Ibn Omar that the

prophet said, ' they two are my descendants in the world meaning al " Hasan and al Husayn.' At Tirmidi and al Hakim record on the authority of Abu Sa'id al Khudri that the Apostle of God called al Hasan and al Husayn the two princes of the youth of Paradise. And at Tirmidi from Usarnah-b-Zayd that he narrates, " I saw the prophet with al Hasan and al Husayn on

either hip, and he exclaimed ' these are my two sons and the sons of my daughter. God, -verily I love them, wherefore love Thou them and love him who loveth them.' And from Anas that the Apostle of God was asked

' which of the people of thy house are dearest to thee ?' He replied, ' al Hasan and al Husayn.' Al Hakim records on the authority of Ibn A'bbas, that the prophet advanced, carrying upon his neck al Hasan, and

a man met him and said, ' an excellent steed thou ridest, lad !' the Apostle " of God replied, ' and he is an excellent rider.' Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of A'bdu'llah-b-u'z Zubayr that he said, " the one most resembling the prophet of his family, and the most endeared to him of them was al Hasan the son of A'li— I saw him come while Muhammad was worshipping and mount upon his neck (or, he says, his back) and Muhammad did not make him get down until he himself got down—and indeed I saw him in the act of bowing in prayer, separate his legs for al Hasan so that he might pass through from the other side." And from Abu Salimah-b-A'bdu'r Eahmanf that the Apostle of God used to put out his tongue towards al Hasan the son of A'li, and when the boy saw the redness of the tongue, he would be merry with him. Al Hakim records on the authority of Zubayr-b-u'l Arkam, that al Hasan rose and preached and a man of the tribe of Azd Shanuwwah stood up and said, " I testify verily that I saw the Apostle of God take him in his lap, saying,

' he who loveth me, let him surely love him, and he that is present, let

him inform him who is absent,' and were it not for reverence of the Apos-

tle of God I would have told it to no one." Al Hasan had many virtues—he was a prince gentle of disposition, extolled, averse strife grave, reserved and dignified ; generous, greatly from and the sword, and given much to marrying—he would bestow upon one man as much as a hundred thousand dirhams. Al Hdkim records on the authority of A'bdu'Uah-b-U'bayd-b-U'mayr that al Hasan performed the pilgrimage on foot twenty-five times, his

* The Syrians who set up Mu'awiyah, and the people of I'rdk who took the side of al IJasan. t A Tahi'i, son of A'bdu'r Eahm4n-h-A'uf, died at Medina A, H. aged 72. [ 193 J horses being led beside him. And Ibn Saa'd from U'mayr-b-Ishak that -A- H, 40. he said, " no one ever discoursed before me whom I more wished when A. D. 661. he spoke that he should' not be silent, than al Hasan the son of A'li, and I never heard from him an improper word except once, when there was verily a dispute between al Hasan and A'mr-b-Othmdn regarding some land. Al Hasan proposed a thing which A'mr did not approve, and al

Hasan said, there is nothing for it then in my opinion but to act in spite of him."* He adds, " this was the harshest word of impropriety that I ever heard from him." He also said, " Marwdn was ruler over us and he used to revile A'li every Friday from the pulpit and al Hasan used to listen without retorting a thing. Then he sent a man to say to him, ' I swear by A'li, and by

A'li, and by A'li, and by thee, and by thee, and by thee, and I find not a

comparison for thee but that of a mule, which when it is asked, " who is

thy father?" replies, " my mother is a mare." ' Al Hasan replied to him ' go back to him and say to him from me—verily I will not blot out from

thee a thing that thou hast said by reviling thee in turn, but • my place of

meeting and thine is before God, and if thou hast spoken the truth, the Lord

will reward thee according to thy truth, and if thou hast lied, then the Lord " is terrible in vengeance.' Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of Euzayk-b-Sawwar that there passed words between al Hasan and Marwan and al Hasan was silent. Then Marwan blew his nose with his right hand, and al Hasan said to " him, Out upon thee ! dost thou not know that the right hand is for

honour and the left for what is base ? Shame upon thee !" Marwan held his peace. And from Asha'th-b-Sawwar on the authority of another, that a man sat down by al Hasan, and he said, " verily thou hast sat down by me as I was about to rise—wilt thou give me permission ?" And from A'li-b-Zayd-b-Juda'an, that al Hasan gave away his property twice for the sake of God, and three times shared his property with God by religious donations, so that he would give a sandal, and keep a sandal, and give a boot and keep a boot. And from A'li the son of al Husayn, that al Hasan was given to divorcing his wives, and he never separated himself from a woman but she stiU continued to love him, and he married ninety women.

And from the father of Jaa'far-b- Muhammad that he said, " al Hasan used to marry and divorce till I feared that he would cause enmity amongst the tribes." A'li once said, " O men of Kufah, give not your daughters in marriage to al Hasan, for he is a man that divorceth frequently :" and a man from Hamadan exclaimed, " by Allah, we will surely give in marriage to him and such as he approves, he may retain, and such

* Lit; that his nose should cleave to the dust, i. e., render him suhmisaive. 25 —

[ 194. 1

A. H. 40. as he dislikes, he may divorce." And from A'bdii'llah-h-Husayn, that af A. D. 661. Hasan was a man much given to taking women in marriage, and they rarely committed a fault towards him, and it was seldom with a woman he married but she loved him and was passionately attached to him. Ihn A'sakir records on the authority of Juwayrah-b-Asma that when al Hasan died, Marwan wept over his bier, and al Husayn said to him, " dost thou weep for him and verily thou hast given him to sufier* what thou hast given him to suffer." He replied, " verily, I would have done the same to one even more forbearing than he," and he pointed with his

hand to the hill.f And from al Mubarrad that it was said to al Hasan " Abti Darr sayeth—poverty is dearer to me than wealth, and sickness than health." He replied—" may God have mercy upon Abii Darr, but I say, that he who confideth in the good choice of the Lord for him, desireth not to be in any other condition than that which the Lord hath chosen for him, and this is the highest attainment of resignation unto what Fate hath ordained." Al Hasan assumed the Caliphate after the assassination of his father, according to the allegiance sworn to him by the people of Kufah, and governed it during six months and some days. Then Mu'awiyah marched against him and the affair was left in the hands of God. Then al Hasan sent to him, offering to resign the government to him on the condition

that the Caliphate should revert to himself after him, J and that he should not call upon any one of the people of Medina, Hijaz and I'rak for anything that had happened during his father's lifetime, and that he should pay his debts. Muawiyah accepted his demands, and they made peace upon this. Thus was made manifest the prophetical prediction in his words " the Lord will unite through his means, the contending parties of the Muslims." And he abdicated the Caliphate in his favour. Al Balkini§ indeed has sought to prove from his renunciation of the Caliphate which

is the highest of dignities, the lawfulness of the renunciation of offices. His abdication of the Caliphate took place in the year 41 in the month of Eabii' u'l Awwal, and some say in Eabii' u'l A'khir (August 661) and Jumada li'l Awwal. His Companions used to say to him, " O shame of the Muslims," and he would reply, " shame is better than hell fire." And a man said to him, " peace to thee, dishonourer of the Muslims." He

* Lit. to swallow.

t A8 fortearing—or as self-contained—as a hill—is a proverbial compaiison in AraWo.

J This condition I find in no other author I have consulted. § The surname of Jalflu'ddin, author of a work on the difficulties of science. His best known composition is the Muhimmat ul Muhimmat, a commentary on Asnavi tho great Jurisconsult who died A. H. 882. D'Herb. art. Ballfini. [ 195 ]

replied, " I am no dishonourer of the Muslims, but I was loth to have ye A. H. 41. slaughtered for the sake of a kingdom." Al Hasan then removed from A. D. 661. Kiifah to Medina and settled there. Al Hakim records on the authority of Jubayr-b-Nufayr* that he narrates, " I said to al Hasan, verily the people say that thou desirest the Cali- phate." He replied, " the chiefs of the Arabs were under my authority, warring with those with whom I warred, and at peace with those with whom I was at peace —yet I abandoned it, seeking the favour of God, and to

spare the blood of the people of Muhammad : shall I then again seize it amid the despondency of the people of Hijaz ?"

Al Hasan died at Medina of poison. His wife Ja'dah, daughter of al Asha'th-b-Kays poisoned him. Yazid-b-Mu'awiyah suborned her to poison him, promising that he would then marry her, and she did so. And when al Hasan was dead, she sent to Yazid claiming the fulfilment of what ha had promised, but he replied, " I did not approve thee for al Hasan, shall I then be content with thee for myself ?" His death took place in the year 49. Some say, however, it ocowrei on the 5th of Eabii' u'l Awwal in the year 50, and others in the year 51. His brother endeavoured to make him

confess to him who poisoned him, but he would not inform him and said,' " the Lord is terrible in His vengeance if it be the one 1 suppose, and if not, by Allah, let not an. innocent man be put to death on my accounb." Ibn Saa'd records on the authority of I'mran-b-Abdi'llah-b-Talhah that al Hasan saw in a dream that there was as if inscribed between his eyes " Say God is One" (Kur. CXII) and he announced the good news to the people of his house, and they related it to Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, and ha exclaimed " if his dream speak truly, little time remaineth unto his death." And he lived but a few days when he died. Al Bayhaki and Ibn A'sakir record on a line of ascription through the father of Abu Mundir Hisham-b- Muhammad, that al Hasan was in straitened circumstances, and they used to give him an allowance of one hundred thousand dirhams a year. One year Mu'awiyah withheld it from him, and he was in great distress. He himself narrates " I sent for an inkhorn that I might write to Mu'awiyah to remind him of me, but I refrained and I saw the Apostle of God in a dream. And he said, ' how art thou ?' replied, ' well father,' O Hasan I ; and I complained to him of my allowance being kept back from me and he said, ' didst thou send for an ink- to write to a creature like horn unto thyself, reminding him of it ?' I answered ' yes, Apostle of God—what then should I do ?' He said ' say— God, instil into my heart Thy desire, and cut off my hope from all beside Thee, so that I may not hope in any one save Thee, Lord ! and vouchsafe unto me Lord of created things that which my strength is too « OneoftheTabi'is. "

[ 196 ]

A. H. 41. weak to reach, and my striving falleth short of, to which my desire attaineth A,. D. 661. not nor doth my supplication aspire, and which hath not passed upon my tongue, of what Thou hast bestowed of certitude upon any one of those that have gone before, and those that have come after.' He continues, " by Allah, I did not persist with this prat/er for a week, but Mu'awiah sent me 1,500,000, dirhams, and I exclaimed, ' praise be to the Lord who doth not forget him who remembereth Him and disap- pointeth not him that calleth upon Him.' Then, I saw the prophet in a dream, and he said, ' Hasan, how art thou,' and I said, ' well, O Apostle of God,' and I related to him my story and he said, * thus it is, my son, with him who hopeth in the Creator and hopeth not in the creature.'

It is stated in the Tuyyuriyat on the authority of Salim-b-I'sa, the Kuran-reader of the people of Kdfah, that when al Hasan was nigh unto death, he became affected with violent grief, and al Husayn said to him, " what meaneth, brother, this lamentation ? Verily thou goest unto the Apostle of God and unto A'li, and they two are thy fathers, and unto Khadijah and Fatimah, and they two are thy mothers, and unto al Easim 'and at Tahir, and they two are thy maternal uncles,* and imto Hamzah and Jaa'far, and they two are thy paternal uncles." Al Hasan said to him, " brother, verily I am entering upon one of the decrees' of the Most High, upon the like of which I have not entered, and I behold a people among the creatures of God, the like of whom I have never seen." Ibn A'bdi'l Barr says, " it has been related to me in different ways, that when al Hasan was near unto death, he said to his brother—" O my brother, verily thy father cast his eyes upon this authority, but the Lord averted

it from him, and Abu Bakr held it ; afterwards again he raised his eyes

to it, but it was turned from him unto Omar ; then at the time of the Council, he had no doubt that it would not pass from him, but it was turned from him unto Othman, and when Othmdn was slain A'li was

sworn allegiance to : then it was contested until the sword was drawn, and it never rested undisturbed in his possession. And verily, by Allah, I do not think that the Lord will unite in us the prophetic mission and the Caliphate, and indeed I know not with what indignity the rabble of Kufah have not treated thee, and cast thee forth. And verily I asked of Ayesha that 1 might be buried with the Apostle of God, and she agreed, therefore when I am dead, ask that of her, and I do not think otherwise of the people but that they will hinder thee, and if they do so, do not dispute with them." And when he was dead, al Husayn went to Ayesha, the mother " of the Faithful, and she said, yes ; willingly," but Marwdn hindered

* Sons of Muhammad. [ 197 1

H. 41. them, and al Husayn and those that were with him took up their arms A. G61. until Abu Hurayrah turned him back. Afterwards he was buried in al A. D. Bakii' by the side of his mother.

MU'AWITAH-b-ABI SUJTYAN.

Mu'awiyah, the son of Abli SufySn Sakhr-b-Harb-b-IJmayyah-b- A'bdi's Shams-b-A'bd. Manaf-b-Kusayy alUmawiy—Abu A'bdu'r Eahman, embraced Islam with his brother on the day of the conquest of Mecca. He was present at Hunayn,* and was of those whose hearts were conei- liatedf by MuJiammad. He became sincerely converted to Islam, and was

one of the Secretaries to the Apostle of Grod. It is said that he had one hundred and sixty traditions from Muhammad. Of the Companions who related traditions on his authority, were Ibn A'bbas, Ibn O'mar, Ibn u'z Zubayr, Abu'd Darda—Jarir al Bijli, Nu'man-b-Bashfr and others. And among the Tabi'is, Ibn u'l Musayyab, Hamid-b-A'bdi'r Eahman Ac. He was of those celebrated for acuteness and forbearance, and verily traditions of his merit have been transmitted, which are seldom well established. At Tirmidi records on the authority of the prophet, substantia-

ting it from A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Abi A'mirah the Companion, that he said to Mu'awiyah, " God, make him a guide unto others and himself rightly directed." And Ahmad in his Musnad from I'rbadh-b-Sariyah that he

narrates, " I heard the Apostle of God say, ' O God, instruct Mu'awiyah in " writing and accounts, and preserve him from eternal punishment.' Ibn Abi Shaybah records in the Musannaf, and at Tabarani in the Kabir on the authority of A'bdu'l Malik-b-TJ'mayr, that Mu'awiyah said, " I never ceased to desire the Caliphate since the Apostle of God said to " me, ' Mu'awiyah, when thou rulest, act with kindness.' Mu'awiyah was a man, tall, fair, handsome and of awe-inspiring aspect, and Omar used to look upon him and say, " this is the Caisar of the Arabs." It is recorded of A'li that he said, " be not averse to the rule of Mu'awiyah, for verily when ye lose him, ye will see heads fall from, their shoulders." Al Makburif says, " ye admire the sagacity of Hera-

» This tattle was fought in 8 A. H. in the valley of Hunayn, about 3 miles from Mecca, between Muhammad and the tribes of Havazen and Thakif. See Sale, Kur. p. 161. t These were certain Arabs of name and position whom Muhammad won over to his side by showing them every consideration, in order that their example might be followed by their tribes. The Muntaha'l Arab gives a list of thirty of them. I Abu Sa'id Kaysan Makburi—a Tabi'i—he was called Makburi because he lived near a graveyard. Muntaha'l Arab. I

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A. H. 41. clius and Khusrau, and ye pass over Mu'awiyah ?" He was proverbial A. D. 661. for his forbearance. Ibn Abi'd Dunya and Abu Bakr-b-Abi A'asim have severally composed a work solely on his forbearance. Ibn A'un narrates that a man said to Mu'awiyah, " by Allah, thou must surely act uprightly with us, Mu'dwiyah, or we will assuredly set thee right." He said, " how ;" he replied, " with a stick." Mu'awiyah answered " Very well— will act uprightly." Kabisah-b- Jabir* says, " I was much in company with Mu'awiyah and I never saw a man of more settled forbearance, and slower to folly and

further from indolence than he ; —and when Abu Batr sent me to Syria, Mu'awiyah set forth with his brother Yazid-b-Abi Sufyan, and Yazid dying, appointed, him his successor in Damascus. Omar confirmed him in this, and subsequently Othman, who added to his goTTernment the whole of Syria, and he was prefect for twenty years and Caliph twenty years.'' Kaa'b al Ahbar said, " no one shall rule this people as long as Mu'awiyah." Ad Dahabi says that Kaa'b died before Mu'awiyah was made Caliph, and that Kaa'b was right in what he said, for Mu'awiyah continued Caliph for twenty years, and none of the princes of the earth contended with him, unlike others who came after him, for they had opponents and portions of their dominions passed out of their sway. Mu'awiyah went forth against A'li as has preceded, and assumed the title of Caliph. Then he marched

against al Hasan, who abdicated in his favour. He therefore became firmly established in the caliphate from Eabii' u'l Akhir or Jumada '1 Awwal 41. The year was therefore called the year of Union, on account of the gathering of the people under one Caliph. During this year Mu'awiyah appointed Marwan-b-u'l Hakam over Medina. In the year 43 Eukhkhajf and other places in Sijistan were captured I / and Waddan in Barkah and KlizaaJ of the country of the Moors. And in the same Mu'awiyah appointed as his lieutenant Ziyad " the son of his father," and this is the first instance in Islam in which the command of the prophet was Yiolated§ —(at Tha'alabi|| and others). * Atu'l A'la Kabisah-b-Jabir al Asadi a native of Kufah and one of the TaM'is, of respeotatle authority aa a Traditioniat. Died a little before 83 A. H. An Nawawi t The printed edition has ^^ which is an error. The MS. gives ^^ and Ibn

u'l Athir confirms it.

% The MS. has (j_yJ but I am unable to trace the names in Yakut.

§ Ziyad was the reputed son of Abu Sufyan by Sumayyah who was married to a Greek slave. According to the prophetical law the child belonged to his legal fether the Greek, but Mu'iwiyah, anxious to secure in his interest so eminent a man, publicly acknowledged him as his brother by the father's aide, notwithstanding the remonstran- oea of his family. The doubtful parentage of Ziydd gained for him the vague diatinc- tion of " the son of his father." See Ockley, Abul Fida, D'Herb.

II Ibn Khali gives two of this surname—both from Nayaabur, Abu Ishdk, a well —

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A. H. In the year 45 al Kikan* was reduced and in the year 50, Kuhistan 45^ 665-6. conquered. In the same year Mu'awiyah invited the people of Syria to A. D. engage for the succession after him of his son Yazid, and they made a covenant with him. He was the first who made a compact for the Cali- phate to descend to his son, and the first who did so while in sound health. Afterwards he wrote to Marwdn at Medina, to take the covenant /row tie people, and Marwdn preached and said, " verily the prince of the Faith- ful hath seen fit to appoint his son Tazid as successor over ye according to the institution of Abu Bakr and Omar," whereupon A'bdu'r Eahman the son of Abu Bakr as Siddik arose and said, " rather according to the insti-

tution of Khusrau and Cffisar, for Abli Bakr and Omar did not do so for their children, nor for any one of the people of their house." In the year 51, Mu'awiyah performed the pilgrimage, and took the covenant for his son. Then he sent to the son of Omar and recited the profession of faith and said, " now, O son of Omar, verily thou didst say unto me, that thou in truth wouldst not wish to pass a single dark night without there being over thee during it a ruler—therefore, verily, I warn thee that thou break not the stafE of the Muslims nor strive for the dis- turbance of their harmony." Then the son of Omar praised God and glorified Him and said, " now, verily there were before thee Caliphs who had sons, thy son being no better than their sons, yet they did not regard in their sons what thou regardest in thy son, but they chose for the Mus- lims the best wheresoever they knew Jiim to he, and thou dost caution me lest I break the staff of the Muslims, but I have not been doing so, and indeed I am but a man among the Muslims and when they are agreed upon a thing, then surely I am one of them." And he said, '' may the Lord have mercy upon thee," and the son of Omar departed. Then he sent to the son of Abd Bakr and recited the profession of faith, and began his discourse, but the other cut short his speech and said, " verily, thou assuredly hast desired that I should commend thee to God in the affair of thy son, but, by Allah, I shall not do so—by Allah, I will refer this matter to a, council of the Muslims, or I will assuredly by circumvention unsettle it upon thee." Then he sprung up and departed. But Mu'awiyah said, " O God, suffice to me against him in whait Thou wiliest." Then he said, " Softly, youth—go not within sight of the people of Syria, for verily I fear lest they anticipate me with regard to thee, until I tell them in the evening that thou hast sworn allegiance." Next he sent to the son of a'z Zubayr and said, ' son of a'z Zubayr—verily thou art a crafty fox which

known Commentator on the Kuran -who died A. H. 629 (1035-6), the other Abu

Mansur Abdu'l Malik a volximinous author ; died A. H. 3fi0 (961). * Yaklit places this district between Sind and Khurasan. [ 200 ]

A. IT. 51. whenever it cometh out of one hole goeth into another, and verily thott A. D. 671. hast supported these two men and hast blown into their nostrils, and hast carried them against their judgment." The son of az Zubayr replied, " if indeed thou art weary of the government, resign it, and bring us thy son and we will swear allegiance to him. Hast thou considered if we make a covenant for thy son together with thee, which of ye two we must hear and obey ? The covenant can never be made with ye two conjointly." Then he departed, whereupon Mu'awiyah ascended the pulpit and praised God and glorified Him and said, " verily, we have heard the sayings of certain misguided men who think that the son of Omar and the son of Abu Bakr and the son of az Zubayr have not sworn allegiance to Yazid, whereas they have heard and obeyed him and made a covenant of allegiance with him." And the people of Syria said, " by AUah, we shall not be content until they swear allegiance to him before witnesses, otherwise we shall smite their necks" but he said, " great God, how prompt are the people to

evil against the Kuraysh—^let me not hear this speech from any of ye after to-day." Then he descended and the people said, " the son of Omar and the son of Abd Bakr and the son of az Zubayr have sworn allegiance," and " " the Syrians said, no ! by AUah," but the people said yes". And Mu'awiyah

set forth and arrived in Syria. It is stated on the authority of Ibn Mun- kadir* that Ibn Omar said when the covenant was made for Tazid, " if he

proveth good we will be content, and if wicked we must be patient." Al Kharaitit records in the Hawatif {Monitors) on the authority of Hamid-b-Wahb that Hind the daughter of TJ'tbah-b-Eabii'h was the wife of al Fakah-b-u'l Mughirah, and he was one of the youths of tlio Kuraysh, and he possessed a banqueting house which the people could enter without permission. One day the house was empty, and al Fakah arose. Hind being within, and went forth on some businees of his and a

man of those who used to guard the house, came and entered it, but when

he saw the woman he turned fleeing ; but al Fakah observed him, and he went up to her and kicked her with his foot and said, " who was he that was with thee ?" She replied, " I did not see any one and I did not wake until thou didst wake me." But he said to her " go to thy family." And the people spoke concerning her, wherefore her father took her apart and said to her, " daughter—verily people talk much about thee, therefore teU.me concerning it, and if the man speak truly, I will suborn one who will slay him and the talk about us will cease, and if he lieth, I will summon him before certain soothsayers of Yaman." The narrator

* Abu Bakr Mu^ammad-'b.Munkadir of the Kuraysh was a traditionist of good authority. Ho died A. H. 130, (747-8). De Slane, I. K. t Abu Bakr Mubammad-b-Jaa'far, al Kharaiti authority of the Mak&rim u'l Akhlalf and other works died at Jaffa or Askalon, A. H, 328 (939-40). De Slane, I. K. [ 201 ]

continues, " tten she swore to him upon that by which they used to swear A H. 51. in the time of Ignorance that he spoke falsely concerning her, wherefore A, D. 671-

U'tbah said to al Fakah, ' verily thou hast charged my daughter with k grave thing, therefore summon me before certain of the soothsayers of Yaman.' And al Fakah went forth with a party of the Banu Makhziim, and U'tbah at the head of a party of the Banu A'bd Manaf, and with them Hind and other women along with her in familiar intercourse. But when they drew near the confines, the appearance of Hind was

transformed and her countenance changed and her father said to her, ' O daughter, verily I see the change of appearance that hath come over thee,

and what is that, but on account of the guilt thou feelest.' She replied,

' no, by Allah, father ! it is not from guilt, but I know that you go unto a mortal who may fail or prove right, therefore I cannot trust him that he brand me not with a stain which will be a reproach to me among the

Arabs.' But he said to her, ' verily I will prove him for thee before he look into thy business.' And he whistled to his horse until he staled and he inserted a grain of wheat and bound it with a thong. And they reached the soothsayer in the morning who slew a camel for them, and received them with honour, and when they had finished their morning meal, U'tbah said to him, " verily we have come to thee concerning an affair, and indeed I have concealed from thee a hidden thing that I may prove thee —wherefore see what it is," He replied, " wheat." He said, " I desire what is clearer than this." He answered "a grain of wheat in a colt." And U'tbah said, " thou hast spoken truly, see into the business of these women." Then he began to approach each one of them, striking her shoulder and saying " rise," until he came to Hind and he struck her shoulder and said

" rise thou undefiled and no adulteress, and verily thou shalt give birth to a king called Mu'awiyah." Then al Fakah looked upon her and took her by the hand, but she withdrew her hand from his hand said,—" go to, for by Allah, I will surely endeavour that it is by another than thee." And Abu Sufyan married her and she brought forth Mu'awiyah. (April Mu'awiyah died in the month of Eajab of the year 60 6S0) J and was buried between the gate of al Jabiyah, and the Little Gate. It i is said that he lived seventy-seven years, and he possessed a little of the hair of the Apostle of God and a paring of his nail, and enjoined as his last " request that it should be put into his mouth and eyes, and he added, do this and leave me alone with the Most Merciful of the Merciful."

26 [ 202 ]

A. H 60.

A. D. 680. . On some accounts of Mm.

Tbn Abi Sbaybah records in the Musannaf on the authority o£ Abu Sa'id-b-Jumhan that he narrates, " I said to Safinah,—verily the Eanu Umayyah conceive that the Caliphate is among them." He replied, " verily the fieree-eyed sons* lie—they are the most rigorous of kings and the first of the kings is Mu'awiyah." And al Bayhaki and Ibn A'sakir from Ibrahim-b-Suayd al Armani that he narrates, " I said to Ahmad-b- Hanbal,—who are the Caliphs ?" He answered, " Abu Bakr, Omar, Ofchman and A'li." I said, " and Mu'awiyah ?" He replied, " no one had more claim to the Caliphate in the time of A'li than A'li." And as SUafi in the Tuyyuriyat from A'bdu'llah-b-Ahmad-b-Hanbal that he states, "I asked my father concerning A'li and Mu'awiyah," and he answered, " know, that A'U had many enemies, and his enemies searched for a fault in him but they found it not, wherefore they went to a manf who had fought with him and battled with him, and they praised him extravagantly setting a snare themselves for him." And Ibn A'sakir from A'bdu'l Malik-b- TJ'mayr,} that Jarlyah-b-Kudamah as Saa'di went to Mu'awiyah who said to him, " who art thou ?" He replied, " Jariyah the son of Kudamah." He said, " and what art thou near to being—art thou anything but a bee ?" He answered, " dost thou not imderstand, that verily, thou hast

likened me to it, and it protects itself with a sting and is sweet of juice ! by Allah, Mu'awiyah is nothing but a bitch, howling to the dogs, and IT'mayyah is but the diminutive of a female slave."§ And from al Fadhl- b-Suayd, that Jariyah-b-Kudamah went to Mu'awiyah who said to him, " thou art the procurator of A'li the son of Abu Talib and the kindler

of fire in thy burnings, going round about the villages of the Arabs,

* Lit. blue-eyed, which ia employed as signifying hostility because the SS\\ blue- nesa or Kghtness of the eye is predominant in the Greeks and the Daylam between whom and the Arabs is a confirmed enmity. Imr u'l Kays, used this adjective in this sense, piwan, p. 34, Ar Text. Consult Lane, and Chenery, notes to 10th aasembly of al Hariri. t I- «., Mu'fiwiyah. J Abu A'mr or Abu Omar A'bdu'l Malii-b-TJ'mayr was one of the Tibi'ia and a native of Kufah of which town he was K&dhi, He ia considered a good authority by Borne and doubtful by others, as his memory towards the close of his life failed him. He died about A. H. 136. An Kawawi.

§ Meaning that the names themselves have that signification in Arabic. I know not why he should have likened Jariyah to a bee, the name not bearing that meaning, unless it be for the same reason that a ship is termed Jdiiyah because it runs or flows on the sea, and thus the bee in the air. Jai'iyah likewise signifies a female slave. :

[ 203 ]

shedding their blood."* Jariyah replied, " Mu'awiyah—put A'li aside A. H. 60. from thee, for we have never 'hated A'li since we loved him, and never A. D. 680. acted with dissimulation towards him since we dealt sincerely with him." He answered, "alas for thee, O Jariyah, how contemptible wert thou to thy family when they named thee Jariyah." He replied, " Mu'awiyah, thou wert contemptible to thy family when they called thee Mu'awiyah." He said, " thou hast nofree mother." The other replied, " a free mother

bore me not ! verily the hilts of the swords with which we met thee at SifKn are in our hands." He answered, "verily thou threatenest me!" He replied, " verily thou didst not seize us by violence, nor conquer us by force, but thou gavest us engagements and compacts, and if thou fulfil thy part to us, we will fulfil ours, but if thou inclinest to the contrary,

then verily, we will abandon them. Behind us are tall men, and strong coats of mail, and sharp lances, and if thou stretchest, out towards us the distance between thy thumb and forefinger in treachery, we will meet thee with both arms reach of deceit." Mu'fiwiyah exclaimed, " may the Lord not multiply the like of thee among the people." And on the authority

of Abu 't Tufayl A'amir-b-Wathilah the Companion, that he went in unto Mu'awiyah who said to him, " wert thou not among the slayers of 0th- man ?" He replied, " no, but I was among those that were with him but did not assist him." He said, " and what hindered thee from assisting him ?" He answered, " the Fugitives and Auxiliaries did not aid him." He said, "but surely his claim upon them that they should aid him was imperative !" He retorted, " then what hindered" thee, prince of the Faithful from helping him, for with thee were the people of Syria ?"

Mu'Awiyah replied, " but my seeking vengeance for his blood is helping him." Abu't Tufayl laughed and then exclaimed, " thou and Othman are as the poetf says

* Mu'awiyah had sent A'bdu'llai-b-u'l Hadhrami to Basrah to secure that town for him and A'li despatched Aa'yan-b-Dhahiah for the same purpose. The latter was

killed whereupon Jariyah was sent and he besieged A'bdu'llah in his house and set it on fire and burnt him to death. Ibn Hajr. t M. Barbier de Eeynard's text of Masa'ddi gives this poet's name as Hanafi. In a note it is stated that according to a MS. in the Asiatic Society of Paris, the name should be Ja'di ^jA*^, The readings of the first hemistich of the verse are various.

Masa'ddi has iSJIjIaaJJI in the text and iSULij in the above-mentioned MS., but the scansion of both these is faulty. The same MS. has ^jj^^i for j,ijiJj. The printed

edition of as Suyuti has kSiixfiJi Ji. I would amend it i«lijjij)/ as the negative here de-

stroys the sense unless employed as a query. In the second hemistich a , after JU^ which is necessary in the scansion, is erroneously omitted but is found in Maaa'udi's version. [ 204 ]

• A. H. 60. I win surely find thee weeping for me after my death : " A. D. 680. And during my life, thou didst not* furnish me with my food.'

As Shaa'bi says, that the first who preached seated to the people, was Mu'dwiyah and that was when his flesh had increased and his stomach had grown large. (Kecorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah.) Az Zuhri states that Mu'a- wiyah was the first who introduced the discourse before prayers on the Eed. (Abdu'r Kazzak in his Musannaf.) And Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab says that he was the first who introduced the call to prayers on the Eed, (Ibn Abi Shaybah) and who diminished the number of the Takbirs. Al A'skari says in his Awail, " Mu'awiyah was the first to establish post-messengers in

Islam, and the first who appointed eunuchs for his personal service, and

the first with whom his subjects jested familiarly, and the first to whom it was said hy the Muaddin, " peace be to thee, O prince of the Faithful and

the mercy of God and His blessing—to prayers ! May the Lord have mercy upon thee,"—and the first, who established the office of the Seal, and he appointed to it A'bdu'llah-b-Aus al Ghassani, and confided to him the Seal, and upon the stone of it was inscribed, " every work has its reward ;" and that continued with the A'bbaside Caliphs to the end. The reason of his instituting it was, that he commanded to be given to a man one hundred thousand dirhams, and he opened the document and made it two hundred

thousand, and when the account was taken to Mu'awiyah, he disavowed it, and established the register of the Seal from that day. " And he was the first who established an enclosure in the great mosque, and the first who permitted the stripping of the Kaa'bah, for before that its vesture was thrown one over another." Az Zubayr-b-Bakkdr records, in the Muwaffikiydt on the authority of the son of az Zuhri's brother, that he narrates, " I said to az Zuhri—who was the first who demanded an oath in the covenant of allegiance ?" He replied, " Mu'dwiyah made them swear by God, but when A'bdu'llah-b- Marwan came, he made them swear upon divorce and manumission.* Al A'skari records in his book of the Awail on the authority of Sulayman-b- A'bdu'Uah-b-Maa'mar, that Mu'dwiyah went to Mecca or Medina and arriving at the mosque, sat himself down among a circle in which were, Ibn Omar, Ibn A'bbds and A'bdu'r Eahmdn-b-Abi Bakr. And they wel- comed him, but Ibn A'bbds turned fi-om him and Mu'awiyah said, " I have more claim to his authority than this recusant and the son of his paternal uncle."t " And Ibn A'bbas said, why ! for priority in Islam, or early companionship with the Apostle, or kinship with him ?" He answered,

* That ia, that the penalty of the violation of their oath would be divorce of their wives and manumission of their slaves.

t /. «., A'li—A'bbfis and Abu TAlib being brothers. — "

[ 205 ]

" no, but for being the son of the paternal uncle of the murdered OtJiman."* A. H. 60. He retorted, "then this one more deserveth it," meaning the son of Abu A. D. 680. Bakr. Mu'awiyah answered, "his father died a natural death." Ibn A'bbas replied, " then this one has more claim to it," meaning the son of Omar. He answered, " verily an infidel slew his father." The other rejoined, " then that is the worse for thy argument, for it was the Muslims who were wroth with the son of thy paternal uncle and slew him." A'bdu'llah-b-Muhammad-b-U'kayl says that Mu'awiyah arrived at Medina, and there met him Abu Katadah the Auxiliary, and Mu'awiyah

said, " all the people have come unto me except ye, men of the Aux- iliaries." He replied, " we had no riding animals." He said, " where were yo«w camels for drawing water ?" " We lamed them in the chase after thee and thy father at Badr," After a little Abu Katadah said, " verily the

Apostle of God said to us, ' you will see after me a state of calamity.' Mu'awiyah asked, " what then did he command you to do ?" He replied, " he commanded us to be resigned." He answered, " then be resigned," This reached A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Hassdn-b-Thabit, and he said " Now, give Mu'awiyah the son of Harb The prince of the Faithful, this message from us, ' We will then be resigned and wiU await you " At the day of mutualf endamaging and contention.' Ibn Abi'd Dunya and Ibn A'sakir record on the testimony of Jabalah- b-Suhaym that he narrates, " I went in unto Mu'awiyah during his Cali- phate, and round his neck was a rope and a child was leading him, and I

said to him, ' O prince of the Faithful, dost thou do thus ?' ' fool,' he said, 'be silent,' for I heard the Apostle of God say, 'he who hath a child, let him act towards him as a child,' " (recited but by one authority according to Ibn A'sakir.) Ibn Abi Shaybah records in the Musannaf on the authority of as Shaa'bi, that a youth of the Kuraysh went in to Mu'a- wiyah and spoke harshly to him, and Mu'awiyah said to him, " son of

* TTmayyali.

! ,. 1 A'bu'l A asi Harb

Affan Abu Sufyan

Othm&i Mu'dwiyah. t That is tbe day of resurrection called yjliJJ; ^jj or the day of mutual cheating or overreaching, because the people of Paradise wiU then overreach the people of hell by their state of enjoyment while the latter -will suffer the punishment they deserve or because the former will impute defect to the latter for preferring infidelity to faith. Lane. The LXIVth Chap, of the Kuran is so named. —

[ 206 ]

A. H. 60. my brother ! I warn thee against a king, for a king waxes angry with the A. D. 680. sudden anger of a child, and seizes with the gripe of a lion." And from as Shaa'bi that Ziyad said, " I appointed a man as collector and he em- bezzled the proceeds of the taxes and fearing that I woidd punish him, he

fled to Mu'Awiyah, and I wrote to him, gaymg, " verily this is disrespect

towards me,"* but he wrote to me, saying, " verily it is not fitting for me

nor for thee to govern men by one kind of polity : if we were to be le-

nient to them all, we would confound men in iniquity, and we should not be hard with them all for we would drive men to ruin, wherefore act thou with severity and harshness and I will act with mildness, and clemency." And from the same, I heard Ma'awiyah say, " a people were never yet divided but the wicked prevailed over the just, save this people." It 'is recorded in the Tuyyuriyat on the authority of Sulayman al Makhzumi, that Mu'awiyah gave a general audience to the people, and when the assembly had gathered together, he said, " recite ye to me three verses by an Arab, each verse complete in its meaning ;" and they were silent. Then A'bdu'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr rose and said, " This Abu Khubayb here, is the most eloquent and learned of the Arabs," and Abu Khubayb said, " what is it ?" Mu'awiyah said, " recite to me three verses by an Arab, each verse complete in its meaning." He replied, " for three hundred thousand dirhams V Mu'awiyah said, " and wiU they be worth it?" He answered, "thou hast the choice; therefore thou art the best iudge."f Mu'awiyah " :" said, out with them and he recited to him from Afwah al Azdi. J " I have proved men age after age. And have seen none but dissemblers and praters."

Mu'awiyah exclaimed " he hath spoken truly, go on." He continued—

" And I have not seen among evils, any more calamitous in their

fall, Or more distressing than the enmity of men,"

Mu'awiyah said " he hath .spoken truly, go on." He continued " And I have tasted the bitterness of all things :

And there is no favour more bitter than supplication." Mu'dwiyah exclaimed, " he hath said truly," and he ordered him three hundred thousand dirhams,

* The MS. has rightly u^t^w which words are improperly inverted in the

printed edition. t Lit. " complete and sufficient."

X The printed edition has (_jjjjl which is incorrect. See the Muntaha'l Arab art. [ a07 1

Al Bukhari and an NaSai and Ibn Abi Hatim in his commentary, A. II. 60. record with various readings, that Marwdn was preaching in Medina, he A. D. 6S0.

being then ruler over Hijaz on the part , of Mu'awiyah, and he said, " verily God hath shown the prince of the Faithful in regard to his son, an excellent counsel, and if he appointeth him successor, verily then Abu Bakr and Omar named successors," (and in one reading " according to the institution of Abu Bakr and Omar"). Whereupon A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Abi Bakr said, " rather according to the institution of Heraclius and Khusrau, for, by Allah, Abu Bakr did not give it to any of his sons nor to any of the people of his house, and Mu'awiyah hath not done this save from partiality and favour to his son." And Marwan said, " art thou not he who ?' said to his parents ' Fie upon you " (Kur. XVII.) And A'bdu'r Eah- mdn said, " art thou not the son of the accursed, of him thy father whom the Apostle of God cursed ?" but Ayesha exclaimed, " Marwan hath lied,

that* was not revealed regarding A'bdu'r Eahman, but it was revealed regarding such a one the son of such one, but the Apostle of God cursed the father of Marwan and Marwan was then in his loins—therefore Marwan

is full of the curse of God." Ibn Abi Shaybah records in the Musannaf on the authority of U'rwah, that Mu'awiyah said, " there is no forbearance without tryings of temper." And Ibn A'sakir from as Shaa'bi that he said, " the most sagacious of the Arabs are four, Mu'awiyah, A'mr-b-u'l A'as, Mughirah-b-Shuu'bah and

Ziyad : but Mu'Swiyah shows it in his forbearance and gravity, A'mr in difficulties, al Mughirah in swift action, and Ziyad in great and small things. The most eminent judges were four, and the most sagacious men four, and the judges were Omar, A'li, Ibn Masa'iid, and Zayd-b-Thabit and the most sagacious, Mu'awiyah, A'mr-b-u'l A'as, al Mughirah and Ziyad." And from Kabisah-b-Jabir that he said, " I have associated with Omar the son of al Khattab and I never saw a man more learned in the book of God, or more profoundly versed in the religion of God than he, and I have associated with falhah the son of U'baydu'llah, and I have never seen a man more munificent in large gifts of wealth, unsolicited, than he, and I have associated with Mu'awiyah and I have never seen a man of greater forbearance or slower to folly or more extreme in gravity than he, and I have associated with A'mr the son of al A'as and I have never seen a man purer in ancestry and a gentler companipn than he, and I have associated with al Mughirah the son of Shuu'bah, and if there were a city with eight gates, out of any gate of which one could not go forth save by cunning, he would assuredly get out by them all." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Hamid-b-Hilal, that A'kil the son of Abti Talib begged of A'li and said, " I am poor and needy, there-

* I. e., the verao above-mentioned. " Fie upon you," [ 208 ]

A. H. 60. fore give unto me." He replied, " wait until my stipend cometh with' that A. D. 680. of the other Muslims, and I will give unto thee with them," but he was importunate and A'li said to a man, " take him by the hand and go with him to the shops of the people of the market and say, ' break these locks and take what is in the shops,' A'kil said, ' dost thou wish to make me a thief ?' A'li retorted, ' and dost thou wish to make me a thief that I should take the property of the Muslims and give it to thee, and not to them ?' He answered, ' I shall assuredly go to Mu'awiyah.' He replied, ' that as thou wiliest,' and he went to Mu'awiyah and begged of him, and he gave him a hundred thousand dirhams and said, ' get up on the pulpit and mention what A'li hath given thee and what I have given thee.' Then

he mounted, and praised God and glorified him, and said, ' people I tell ye, verily I tempted Ali in regard to his religion and he preferred his religion, and verily I tempted Mu'awiyah in regard to his religion and he " preferred me to his religion.' Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of the father of Jaa'far-b-Mu- hammad, that A'kil went in unto Mu'awiyah who said, " that is A'kil and his paternal uncle was Abd Lahab," and A'kil said, "this is Mu'awiyah and his maternal aunt was the bearer of wood*" (Kur. CXI). And from al Auzaa'i,t that Khuraym-b-F4tik went unto Mu'awiyah, and his nether garment was tucked up, and he had shapely legs. And Mu'awiyah

said, " if but those legs belonged to a woman ;" and Khuraym said " like thy hips, prince of the Faithful." There died during the reign of Mu'awiyah among distinguished persons, Safwan-b-Umayyah and Hafsah, U'mm Habibah, Safiyyah, Maymu- nah, Saudah and Juayriyyah mothers of the Faithful,—^Labid the poet, Othman-b-Talhah al Hajabi, A'mr-b-u'l A'as, A'bdu'Uah-b-Salamthe learned doctor, Muhammad-b-Maslamah, Abu Musa al Asha'ri, Zayd-b-Thabit, Abu Bakrah, Kaa'b-b-Malik, al Mughirah-b-Shuu'bah, Jarir al Bajli, Abu Aylib al Ansari, I'mran-b-Hasin, Sa'id-b-Zayd, Abd Katadah al Ansari, Fudhalah-b-U'bayd, A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Abi Bakr, Jubayr-b-Mu'tim, Usa- mah-b-Zayd, Thauban, A'mr-b-Hassan-b-Thabit, Hakim-b-Hizam, Saa'd-

* " The hands of Abu Lahab shall perish and he shall perish. His riches shall not profit him nor that which he hath gained. He shall go dovfn to be burned in flaming fire and his wife also bearing wood, on her neck a cord of twisted fibres of » palm tree." Kur. CXI. Her name was TJmm Jamil, she was the daughter of Harb and sister of Abd Sufyau. See Sale. t Abu A'mr A'bdu'r Eahmdn-b-Tuhmid al Auzaa'i the chief doctor of law among

the Syrian Muslims and the most learned in jurisprudence. He dwelt at Bayrtit ; Suf- y&n at Thauri was his pupil in traditions, with many others. Born al Baalbek A. H. 88 (707) died at Bayrut. His tomb is in a village called Hantds outside the gate of the city. Ibn Khali. [ 209 ] b-Abi Wakkas, Abu'l Tusr, Kutham-b-ul A'bbas, and bis brotber U'bayd- A. H. 60. u'llab, U'kbab-b-A'dmir, and Abu Hurayrah (in tbe year 59, for be used A. D. 680. to pray " God, verily I fly to thee for protection against tbe year 60 and tbe reign of cbildren," and his prayer was heard)-;-and others.

YAZrD-B-MU'AWIYAH.

Tazid tbe son of Mu'aWiyab, Abu Khalid, the Uinkyyad, was bom in tbe year 25 or 26. He was stout, very corpulent and hairy—His mother Maysun* was the daughter of Bahdal al Kalabi, He narrated traditions on the authority of bis father, and they are related on bis authority by his son Khalid and A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marw^n. His father made bim his heir, and tbe people were averse to it as hath gone before. Al Hasan of Basrah says, " two men threw into confusion the affairs of the people, A'mr the son of al A'a? on the day he suggested to Mu'awiyab tbe lifting of tbe Kurans on the lances, and they were upraised (and Ibn u'l Kara adds, ' and the schismatics asserted that judgment helongeth to

Ood, and this judgment will continue to he maintained till the day of resurrection,') and al Mugbirab-b-Shuu'bab, for verily he was Mu'awiyah's prefect over Kufah, and Mu'awiyab wrote to bim, saying, ' when thou readest this letter, come to me—deposed from thy office,' but be delayed about it, and when be arrived, Mu'awiyab said to him ' what delayed thee ?' He replied, ' an affair which I was settling and arranging,' and

Mu'awiyab said, ' what was that ?' He replied, ' the covenant of allegiance for Yazid, after thee.' He said, 'and hast thou done it?' He

' ' answered yes' : Mu'awiyab replied, go back to. thy prefecture.' And when be went put his Companions said to him, ' bow goes it with thee ?'

He answered, ' I have placed the foot of Mu'awiyab in the stirrup of error in which it will continue till tbe day of resurrection'.' Al Hasan says,

' for this reason, these have taken covenants of allegiance for their sons,

and were it not for that, there would have been a Council of election till " the day of resurrection.' Ibn Sirin states that A'mr-b-Hazm went to Mu'awiyab and said to him, " I call the Lord to thy remembrance in regard to the people of Muhammad, concerning him whom thou placest as thy successor over them." He replied, "thou, hast given me counsel and spoken according'

.• This Bedouin tride of Mu'flwiyah was a graceful poetess—some of her verses

are translated in Carlyle's specimens of Arabian poetry. One song especially is well known and is given in Ockley and in Burton's Pilgrimage. The lattpr says that the Bedouins never hear it without screams of joy. 27 —

[ 210 1

and their A. H. CO. to thy judgment, but verily there remain none but my son sons, A. D. 680. and my son is the most deserving." A'tiah-b-Kays says that Mu'awiyah preached and said, " O Lord, i£ I have surely made a covenant for Yazid on account of the merit I saw in him, then cause him to arrive at that which I have hoped, and assist him,

but if it was indeed the love. of the father for his son that hath influenced me, and if he be not deserving of that which I have done for him, then *tale him away before he arriveth at it." And' when Mu'awiyah died, the people of Syria swore allegiance to Yazid. Then he sent to the people of Medina, one who was to take the covenant of allegiance for him, but al Husayn and Ibn u'z Zubayr refused to acknowledge him- and they too went forth in the night to Mecca. With regard to Ibn u'z Zubayr he neither swore allegiance nor made any pretension on his own account, but as to al Husayn, the people of Kufah had written to him in the time of Mu'awiyah soliciting him to come to them and he had refused, but when Yazid was acknowledged he reverted to what had been formerly meditated, determining at one time to remain and at another purposing to go to them. Ibn u'z Zubayr counselled him to set out, but Ibn A'bbas used to say " do not do it," and Ibn Omar said to him, " go not forth, for the Lord gave the apostle of God a choice between this world and the next, and he chose the next, and thou art a part of him, and thou shalt not obtain it" meaning the

world, and he fell upon his neck and wept and bade him adieu. Ibn Omar used to say, " al Husayn prevailed over us concerning his departure, and by

my life, verily he had beheld a warning example in his father and. his brother ;" and Jabir-b-A'bdu'Uah and Abu Sa'id, and Abti Wakid al Laythi Tised to address him similarly, but he did not yield to any of them and resolved upon the journey to Irak, whereupon Ibn A'bbas said to him, " by Allah, verily, I think thou wilt be slain among thy wives and children as Othman was slain." But he did not acquiesce, and Ibn A'bbas wept and said " the eye of the son of az Zubayr hath become refreshed."* And when Ibn A'bbas saw Abdu'llah-b-u'z Zubayr, he said to him, " what thou hast

desired hath come to pass—^this al Husayn is about to set forth and will quit thee and al Hija'z," Then he quoted appositely

" lark ! in this pasture land.

The valley is open to thee, lay thy eggs and sing. Peck at what thou wiliest to peck,"t

* Meaniog, that he saw his own way to the Caliphate only through the death of al Husayn whose march to Kiifah he had counselled. t The verses are Kulayb Wail's of the tribe of Taghlib—the most powerful chief of Najd, The proverbial " guarded domain of Xulayb," was any land he chose to take for pasture, prohibiting others therefrom. It is said, he would put a dog in a

field and wherever its bark could be heard, the prohibition of pasturage extended. —

[ 211 ]

And the people of I'rak, sent messengers and letters to al Husayn, A. H. 60. inviting him among them, whereupon he set forth from Mecca to I'rak A. D. 680. on the 10th of Du'l Hijjah, and with him a party of his household, men, women and children. Then Yazid wrote to U'baydu'llah-b-Ziydd, his prefect in I'rak to oppose him, and he sent against him an army of four thousand men, commanded by Omar-b-Saa'd-b-Abi Wakkas. And the people of Kiifah deserted al Husayn, as had been their way with his father before him, and when the troops came up with him he profferred submission to them and to return and go to Yazid to place his hand in the band of Yazid, but they refused everything bu^ his death, and he was slain

-and his head was carried in a platter until it was placed before Ibn Ziyad may God curse his slayer, and Ibn Ziyad with him and Yazid likewise. He was slain at Karbala and the narrative of his death is long the mention of which the heart cannot endure, " il^erily we belong to God, and verily unto Him shall we return." There were slain together with him sixteen men of his family. And when al Husayn was murdered, the world stood stiU for seven days, and the sun upon the walls appeared as safEron- coloured sheets, and the stars struck one upon the other. His murder took place on the 10th of Muharram, and the sun was eclipsed on that day and the horizon of the sty became red for six months after his death. The redness did not cease to be seen after that, but it had never been beheld before.

It is said that not a stone was turned in Jerusalem on that day but fresh blood was found beneath it, and the saffron that was in their army became ashes, and they slew a camel in their army and they saw in its flesh, as if flames, and they cooked it and it became like the colocynth, and a man spake some words against al Husayn and the Lord launched at him two stars from heaven and his sight was destroyed. At Thaa'labi says that historians have recounted in several ways on the authority of Abdu'l Ma^k-b-U'mayr al Laythi, that he said, " I saw upon this palace," and he pointed to the royal palace of Kiifah, " the head of al Husayn the son of A'li upon a buckler, before U'baydu'Uah-b-Ziyad ; afterwards I beheld the head of U'baydu'llah-b-Ziyad before al Mukhtar-b- of al Mukhtar before Musaa'b-b-u'z Abi U'bayd ; again, I saw the head before A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwdn, Zubayr ; next I saw the head of Musaa'b

From this dog, he is supposed to have received the name of Kulayb. Once when ha was walking in his domain, a lark flew away from her eggs at his approach, upon which he said, "Pear not, thy eggs are under my protection," and then added the " glad#-yet, verse quoted which concludes thus : The fowler is far from thee, so be sure, he will take thee some day, so beware." See Ohenery's notes to 19th and. 26th Assemblies of al Hariri. —

[ 212 ]

A. H. 60. and I related this circumstance to A'bdu'l Malik who was startled at it A. D. 680. and left the place."* At Tirmidi records on the authority of Salmaf that she narrates, " I

' went ib unto TJmm, SalimahJ and she ' was weeping and I said, what makes thee weep ?' She repliedi ' I saw the apostle of God in a dream, with dust on his head and beard,' and I said, ' what hath come to thee, O ?' ' the murder of al , apostle of God He replied, I witnessed but now Husayn.' " And al Bayhaki in the Dalail from Ibn A'bhas that he said, " I saw the Apostle of God at midday, with dishevelled hail-, soiled with dust and in his hand a phial of blood, and I said, ' with my father and my mother, mayst thou he ransomed, what is this ?' He replied, ' this is the blood of al Husayn and his Companions, I have not ceased to gather it up

from to-day ;' and they computed the day and found that he was slain on that day." Abu Nua'ym records in the Dalail from Umm Salimah, that she said, " I heard the jinns weeping for al Husayn and lamenting over him." And Thaa'lab in his Dictations from Abu Jandb al Kalabi that he narrates, " I went to Karbala and I said to one of the Arab Chiefs, ' tell me regarding what hath reached me, «««., that ye hear the lamentations- of the

jinns ;' and he said, ' thou wilt not meet with any one, but he will tell

thee that he hath heard it.' I replied, ' then tell me what thou hast heard.' He replied, ' I have heard them saying

The Apostle stroked his forehead radiance in And he had a his checks ; His parents were the noblest of the KuraysL, " And the grandsire the best of grandsires.'

And when al Husayn and the children of his father were slain, Ibn Ziyad Sent their heads to Yazid who at first rejoiced at their death, but

repented afterwards when the Muslims hated him for it, and the people bore him enmity and bore him enmity with justice. Abu Ya'la records in his Musnad on a weak ascription to Abu TJ'baydah, that the Apostle of God said, " the government of my people shall

not cease to be based on justice until the first that shall subvert it shall be a man of the Banu Umayyah called Yazid." Ar Euyani records in his Musnad on the authority of Abu'd Dardd, that he narrates, " I heard

• According to Ockley, he commanded the castle to be demolished to arert the

ill oinen—Maea'udi says jj"''^ I (j** (ills' <.s*^l (j'^l (•<*«^^l

\ Freedwoman. of Muhammad or according to others of §afiyyah-d of A'bdu'l Muttalib^Bhe married Abu Eafi,' freodman of Muljammad.

1^ See note § page 15. [ 213 ] the Apostle &f God say, ' the first who will alter my law, will be one of A. H. GO. the Banu Umayyah called Yazid.' " Naufal-b-u'l Furat Says, " I was with A. D. 680.

Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, when a man mentioned Yazid and said, ' the prince of the Faithful Yazid the son of Mu'dwiyah said,' and he exclaimed, ' dost thou call him prince of the Faithful ?' and he gave orders regarding him, and he was scourged twenty lashes." ,

In the year 63 it reached YaziA, that the people of Medina had rebelled against him and deposed him, wherefore he sent against them a

large force and ordered it to attack them and then march to Mecca to , engage Ibn u'z Zubayr. And they set out and there took place the battle of Harrah over against the gate of Taybah, and what shall make thee understand what the battle of Harrah was ! Al Hasan mentions it once and says, " by Allah, scarcely one of them escaped." A large number of the Companions and others were slain in it, and Medina was sacked and a thousand virgins violated. Verily we belong to God and verily unto Him shall we return. The apostle hath said, " he who intimidateth the people of Medina, the Lord shall put him in fear and upon him be the curse of God and his angels and of aU mankind" (Muslim relates this). The reason of his deposition by the people of Medina was that Yazid became bound- less in iniquities. Al Wakidi records with various lines of ascription, that A'bdu'Uah-b-Handhalah-b-i'l Ghasil said, " by Allah, we did not rebel against Yazid until we feared that we sh9uld be stoned from Heaven on account of a man who would marry slave mothers who had home children to tJieir masters and daughters and sisters, and drink wine and abandon public prayers." Ad Dahabi says, " when Yazid had done unto the people of Medina what he had done, together with his drinking wine and indulgence in forbidden things, the people became violent against him and more than one rebelled against him, and the Lord did not bless his life and while the army of Harrah marched to Mecca, the commander of the troops* died on the way. But he appointed over them a chief to succeed him and they reached Mecca and besieged Ibn u'z Zubayr and attacked him and launched engines of war against him, and that in Safar of the year 64. And from

^ihe sparks of their fires, the coverings of the Kaa'bah took fire and its roof and the two horns of the ram, the one by which Ishmael was ransomedf and which were in the roof." in middle The Lord destroyed Yazid the of the month of Eabii' u'l I Awwal of this year (11th November, 683) and the news of his death arrived '-^

f Muslim-b-TJ'kbali, he died at a place called Harsha having appointed Husayn ' ((^«a&.) b-Numayr as Sakuni to succeed him. Ibn Khali, art. Abu Jaa'far.

The printed should t edition have, with the MS. t5** for tS'

" A. H. 64. -while the fighting was going on. And Ibn u'z Zubayr called out ; O A- D. 683. men of Syria, verily your oppressor is dead ;" and they were routed and broken and the people captured them, and Ibn u'z Zubayr invited the covenant of allegiance for himself, and assumed the title of Caliph. But ,the people of Syria swore allegiance to Mu'awiyah the son of Tazid, but his reign was not long, as will appear afterwards. Among the verses t^

' Tazid are, •

This sorrow hath returned and drawn near,

And embittered sleep and withheld it. Gazing upon the stars I watched them And when a planet rose It circled over until, verily, I saw it

Declining to its fall. And my love in Matirlin,* what time The ant eatethf of what she hath garnered. Hath a pleasant abode and when she arriveth, She alighteth at a temple near Damascus Under the domes in the midst of cloisters Round which the olives are ripening. —Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of A'bdu'Uah-b-Omar that he said " Abu Bakr the witness to the truth, ye have well hit his name and Omar, the discriminator, a horn of iron, ye have well hit his name, Ibn A'fiFan the possessor of two luminaries, unjustly slain, is given a double portion of divine mercy. Mu'awiyah and his son are kings of the Holy land. As SafEah, and Salam,J and aLMansiir, and Jabir, and al Mahdi, and al Amin and the prince of wrath, are all of them of the Banu Kaa'b- b-Lawayy, all of them virtuous, their like cannot be found." Ad Dahabi

• says that this is given in various ways, but no one has traced its ascription. Al Wakidi states on the authority Abu Jaa'far al Bakir,§ that the

X first who covered the Kaa'bah with silk brocade was Yazid-b-Mu'awiyah. There died of distinguished people in the reign of Yazid, besides those who were killed with al Husayn and in the battle of Harrah, Umm Salimah the mother of the Faithful, Khalid-b-U'rfutah, Jarhad al Aslatni,

* A village near Damascus. t The printed edition has "-^^l for J^t The MS. here agrees with Yakut who gives these verses with slight variants under ait—liij^'*^! J I am unahle to explain the introduction of the names, Salam, J&hir and the prince of wrath. The MS. is in accordance with the text but both are probably iu error. Its unintelligibility may account for ita lack of ascription. J Muliammad-b-A'li-b-al iJusayu-b-A'U-b-Abi Talib called al Baiiir, from the profundity of his knowledge. Muntaha'l Arab. [ 215 I

Jabir-b-A'tik, Burayda bu'l Husayb, Maslamah-b-Mukhallad, A'lkamah-b- A. H. 64. Kays an Nakha'i the doctor of law, Masriik, Miswar-b-Makhramah and A. D. 683. others. The number of the slain at Harrah of the Kuraysh and the Auxiliaries, were three hundred and six.

MU'AWIYAH-B-YAZrD.

Mu'awiyah-b-Yazid-b-Mu'awiyah, Abu A'bdu'r Rahman, called also Abu Tazld, and Abu Layla, was acknowledged Caliph according to the covenant of his father in the month of Eabii' u'l Awwal 64i. He was a virtuous youth, and was sufBeriug in health when appointed Caliph, and continued ill till he died. He never came forth to the people and did not take any part in affairs, nor prayed before the people. The duration of. his Caliphate was forty days ; some say two months and others three months. He died being one and twenty years of age. When he was at the ?"' point of death, it was said to him, " wilt thou not name a successor

He replied, " I have not enjoyed the sweets of it, therefore I shall not take upon myself its bitterness."

A'BDU'LLAH-B-U'Z ZUBATE.

A'bdu'llah was the son of az Zubayr-b-i'l A'wwdm-b-Khuwaylad, b- Asad-b-Abdi'l U'zza-b-Kusayy, His surname was Abu Bakr and he. was also called Abu Khubayb, a Companion, son of a Companion. His father was one of the ten unto whom the atiainmenf of Paradise was testified, and his mother was Asma, daughter of Abd Bakr as Siddik, and his father's mother was Safiyyah, paternal aunt of the Apostle of God. He was born at Medina twenty months after the Flight, and it is also said, within the first year, and he was the first child born to the Fugitives after (he Flight. The Muslims rejoiced at his birth with an exceeding joy> for the Jews used to say, " we have bewitched them therefore no son shall be born to them. The Apostle of God rubbed his palate with a date,* which he had first chewed and named him A'bdu'llah and gave him the surname of Abu Bakr after the name and surname of his grandfather. He was a great observer of fasting and devotions and given to long

* A custom with a newly born child to induce it to suck. [ 216 ]

A. H. 64. prayer, attached to his kindred and of great intrepidity. He apportioned

A. D. 683. his timq into three srecwrmg nights ; on one night iie prayed standing till morning, on the next with body inclined, and the next worshipping on his

face till the morning. It is said that he had thirty-three traditions from the prophet, and his brother TJ'rwah, and Ibn Abi Mulaykah, A'bbas-b- Sahl, Thdbit al Bunani, A'ta, TJ'baydah as Salmani and others relate them on his authority. « He was one of those who refused to acknowledge Tazid-b-Mu'awiyah

and he fled to Mecca making no pretension to the Oalvphate for himself but refusing to swear allegiance. And Yazid was wroth against him with exceeding anger, but when Yazid died, he was acknowledged Caliph and the people of Hijaz, Yaman, I'rak and Khurasan obeyed him. He

renewed the building of the Kaa'bah and made for it two gates after the

plans of Abraham, and included within it six cubits of the enclosure when Ayesha his aunt related to him the tradition from the prophet.*

External to his authority were only Syria and . Egypt, and Mu'awiyah-b- Yazid was acknowledged in those two places, but his reign was not long, and when he died the people of those two countries obeyed Ibn u'z Zubayr and swore him allegiance. Then Marwdn-b-u'l Hakam rebelled and took

possession of Syria and then of Egypt and remained in possession till he died in the year 65, after having covenanted for his son A'bdu'l Malik. It is most just what ad Dahabi observes that Marwan is not to be counted amongst the princes of the Faithful,t but as a rebel in revolt against az Zubayr, nor was his covenant for his son legal, but the Cali- phate of A'bdu'l Malik became rightful from the time that az Zubayr was slain. Ibn u'z Zubayr, however, remained at Mecca as Caliph until A'bdu'l Malik obtained the ascendancy who despatched al Hajjaj to oppose him at the head of forty thousand men, and he besieged him, for some months and attacked him with engines of war. The friends of az Zubayr then deserted him and stole secretly to al Hajjaj, who defeated him and slew

* This tradition is thus given in al Bukhari, " Muhammad said to Ayesha, • were it not that thy tribe have been, but lately converted from infidelity, I would order the temple to be demolished, and what had been excluded from it I would again adjoin to it, and would make two gates, to the east and west, and thus fashion it after the plan " of Abraham.' The narrator adds, that this tradition induced Ibn u'z Zubayr to de- molish the temple—see §aljilj, p. 206. Delhi edition, 1848. t Weil omits Ibn u'z Zubayr and places the name of Marwan between Mu'a- wiyah II and A'bdu'l Malik. Maea'udi however, clearly, states that the" authority of Ibn u'z Zubayr became established even in Syria, and he was publicly proclaimed from aU the pulpits of Isl4m except that of Tiberias, where Hasan-b-MaHk held for Khffid-b-YazId— see Prairies d'Or. Tom. 5, p. 194. Ockley likewise recognises Ibn u'z Zubayr as 9th Caliph, but places Marw4n after him as the 10th. r 217 ] him" and crucified him, and that on Tuesday the 17th* of JutaiMa'l Awwal, A. H. 73. and say Jumada'l Akhirah of the year 73 (3rd October 692). A. D. 692. Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Muhammad-b-Zayd-b-A'b- di'Uah-b-Oraar that he said, " I was standing upon the summit of the Mil of Abu Kubays, at the time the engines were laid against Ibn u'z Zubayr when a thunderbolt i^W-from heaven, so that I saw it wheeling round as if it were a red wild ass, and it burnt up of the people at the engine about fifty men, Ibn u'z Zubayr was the best horseman of his time among the Kuraysh—and his exploits are well attested. Abu Ya'la records in his Musnad on the authority of Ibn u'z Zubayr that the prophet was bled and when it was over, he said to him, " A'b- du'llah, go with this blood and pour it out where no one may see thee }" and when he departed he drank it. On his return the prophet said to him, "what hast thou done ?" He replied, " I designed it for a most secret place and I have put it therein." He said " perhaps thou hast swallowed it." He replied, " yes." He exclaimed, " woe unto the people from thee, and woe unto thee from the people ;" and they used to think that the strength that was in him was from that blood. And from Nauf ul Bikalif that he said, " verily I find in the revealed book of God that the best horseman among the Caliphs is Ibn u'z Zubayr." A'mr-b-Dinar says " I never saw one at prayers more devout than Ibn u'z Zubayr, and he ^yas once praying in the enclosure of the temple when a ioltfrom a catapult struck the side of his garment, but he did not heed it." " Mujahid says, there was no method of devotion which men from its hard- ship failed to perform, but Ibn u'z Zubayr undertook it, and verily a torrent came and flooded the temple, whereupon he went round it swim- ming." Othman-b-'Talhah says that Ibn u'z Zubayr could not be matched in three things—in bravery, piety or eloquence, and he had a voice that when he preached resounded in the hills. Ibn A'sakir records from U'rwah that an Nabighah al Jaa'di recited this verse regarding Ibn u'z Zubayr.

didst remind Thou us of Siddik when thou didst rule us ; And of Othman and the Discriminator, and the poor rejoiced.

And thou didst administer justice equally amongst the people, and it

was undeviating • But in the morning returned the dark sable clouds.

And .from Hisham-b-Urwah and Khubayb, that the first who covered the Kaa'bah with silk brocade was A'bdu'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr, its covering

* Weil, following Masa'udi makes it the 14tli—as the 14th and not the 17th was a Tuesday. t Abu Yazi'd Nauf-b-Pudhalah, a Tabi'i of the Banu Bikal—Mimt Arab 28 — —

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A. H. 73. having been of haircloths and dressed leather. And from Omar-b-Kaya A. D. 692. that he said, " Ibn u'z Zubayr had one hundred servants, each servant among them speaking a different tongue, and Ibn u'z Zubayr used to speak with each of them in his own tongue and when I regarded him in his

worldly conduct, I used to say, ' this man never turns to God for the twink-

. ling of an eye,' and when I regarded him in his religious conduct, I used to " say, ' this man never turns to the world for the twinkling of an eye.' And from Hisham-b-U'rwah, " the first word my paternal uncle Ibn u'z

Zubayr distinctly uttered as a child was ' sword,' and he never let it out of

his mouth, and his father when he heard that, would say, ' well, by Allah, thou shalt have it for a day and a day and days.' " And from Abu U'baydah, that A'bdu'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr al Asadi, went to A'bdu'Uah-b-u'z Zubayr-b-

i'l Awwam and said, " prince of the Faithful, between me and thee there is relationship through a certain female." Ibn u'z Zubayr replied, " yes,

it is as thou sayest, but if thou wilt consider this, thou wilt mark that all men go back to one father and mother." He said, " O prince of the Faithful, my means of subsistence are at end." He replied, " I never was

surety to thy family that it would suffice for thee until thou dost return

to them !" He answered, " O prince of the Faithful, my camel is foot- sore." He replied, "help her by cooling her hoof and pasture her on the plant called Subt,* and cover her with hair and ride her in the morning and the evening." He exclaimed " prince of the Faithful, verily I came to thee asking for relief, but I did not come to thee asking for a prescription the Lord curse the camel that bore me to thee ;" and Ibn u'z Zubayr replied " and its rider." And al Asadi departed, reciting this verse

" I see that with Abu Khubayb, needs

Are unsupplied, and there is no Umayyad in the land Among the Banu A'as or the descendants of Harb Eesplendent like the white star of a generous steed. And I said to my companions, ' draw nigh to my stirrup For I shall leave the interior of Mecca in the darkness And when I pass Dat I'rk,t there shall be for me No return to this son of remissness.' "

A'bdu'r Eazzak records in his Musannaf on the authority of az Zuliri, that never was a head brought to the Apostle of God at Medina, not even after the battle of Badr, but a head was once taken to Abu Bakr, and he disapproved of it. The first to whom heads were taken was A'bdu'llah- I b-u'z Zubayr.

* Lane makes this to be a plant resem'bliiig the AUhea ojkinalis or marsh mallow, t A place near Mecca -where the pilgriins from Irak put on the pilgrim's dress lefore approaching the Kaa'bah. [ 219 ]

During the reign of u'z Zubayr occurred the rebellion of al Mukhtdr, A. H. 73. the liar, he who pretended to prophecy,* and Ibn u'z Zubayr despatched A- D. 0024 an army to oppose him until he overpowered him in the year 67 and put him to death—may God curse him. Of the distinguished men who died during the reign of a'z Zubayr, were, Usayd-b-Dhuhayr. A'bdu'Uah-b-A'mr-b-i'l A'aa, an Nu'man-b-Bashir, Sulayman-b-Surad, Jabir-b-Samurah, Zayd-b-Arkam,- A'di-b-Hatim, Ibn A'bbds, Abd Wakid al Laythi, Zayd-b-Khalid al Juhni, Abti'l Aswad ad Duall and others.

A'BDII'L MALIK-B-MAEWAN.

A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwan-b-i'l Hakam-b-Abi'l A'as-b-TJ'mayyah-b-A'bd Shams-b-A'bd Manaf-b-Kusayy-b-KiMb,—A'bu'l Walid, was born in the year, 26, and was acknowledged Caliph according to the covenant of his father, during the Caliphate of Ibn u'z Zubayr, but his Caliphate was not valid, and he continued as a usurper over Egypt and Syria. Subsequently

he took possession of I'rak and the adjacent provinces, till Ibn u'z Zubayr was slain in the year 73, from which day his Caliphate became valid and his authority established.

During this year, al Hajjaj pulled down the Kaa'bah and restored it

to the condition in which it now is ; he likewise suborned a man to strike

• Ibn Omar with a poisoned javelin, of which he sickened and died.

In the year 74 al Hajjaj went to Medina and began to oppress its people and humiliate the remnant of the Companions of the Apostle of <3rod therein, and sealedf them in their necks and hands, thereby bringing

* On what ground this is asserted I cannot find. Neither d'Herbelot, nor Ootley nor Weil, nor Masaudi mention it. The latter says that when his wives were com- hj' Musa'b curse their dead husband, two of manded to them refused testifying to his • piety and his exertions in the cause of God and his prophet and his avenging the hlood of Husayn. One of these two women subsequently relented under threat of death and called al Mukhtar an infidel, adding that she would have abjured Islam likewise under a similar threat. The other died rather than consent to the intimidations

of Musa'b. The aim of al Mukhtar's ambition was to extirpate the murderers of al Husayn, and avenge his death which he amply accomplished by killing, according to Ockley, nearly fifty thousand men. He was slain in the 67th year of his age after having beaten all the generals of Tazid, Marwan and Abdu'l Malik and made himself mas. ter of Baylonian Irak. Lane says that the "sealing of the neck" (3''*^5" is mentioned in t ( f**'^ ) the Kisalah Yuaufiyah thus—Omar sent Ibn Hunayf to seal the ^J^ or imbeUvers of [ 220 ]

A. H. 73. ttem into contempt, such as Anas, Jabir-b-A'bdi'Uah, and Sahl-b-Soa'd as A. D. 692. Saa'di-—verily we belong to God and unto God do we return. In the year 75 the Caliph A'bdu'l Malik made the pilgrimage with the people, and he sent al Hajjaj as governor to I'rAk. In the year 77 Heraolea was taken, and A'bdu'l A'ziz-b-Marwan, demolished the principal mosque at Cairo and enlarged it on all four sides. In the year 82 the fortress of Sinan in the district of Masisah,* was taptured, and the expedition to Armenia and Sinhajah in nothern Africa took place. In the year 83 the city of Wasit was founded by al Hajjaj. -^ In the year 84 Masisah was occupied and the valleys of Mauritania. In the year 85 the city of Ardabil was founded and the city .of Bardaa'h,t both by A'bdu'l A'ziz-b-Abi Hatim-b-i'n Nu'man al Bahili. In the year 86 the forts of Taulak and Akhram were taken. During

the same occurred the Pestilence of the Girls, so called because it began

with the women : in the same died the Caliph A'bdu'l Malik in the month of Shawwdl leaving seventeen sons. Ahmad-b-A'bdi'llah al I'jli says that A'bdu'l Malik was foul of breath, and that he was a six months' child. Ibn Saa'd says that he was pious and virtuous when at Medina before the Caliph, and Tahya al Ghassani mentions that A'bdu'l Malik was often in the company of Umm u'd Darda,J and she said to him on one occasion, " it has reached me, prince of the Faithful, that thou drinkest wine after

all thy piety and devotion." He replied " yes, by AUah, and it is the pleasantest liquor I have tasted." Nafi' says, " verily I have seen Medina and there is not in it a youth more zealous nor more learned in the law, nor more virtuous nor more versed in the book of God than A'bdu'l Malik the son of Marwan," and Abu'z Zanad observes that the jurists of Me- dina are four, Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, A'bdu'l Malik-b- Marwan, U'rwah-b- u'z Zubayr and Kabisa'h-b-Duayb. Ibn Omar remarks that men beget a

son, but Marwan begot a father,§ and A'bbadah-b-Lubni, that it was said to Ibn Omar, " verily ye are a body of elders, and it will soon be that ye will

the Sawfid, and he sealed 5,00,00.0 of them in classes : that is, he marked them twelve dirhams and twenty-four and forty-eight, tying a thong upon the neck of each and Jutting upon the knot a seal of lead. * On the north frontier of Syria. t In Adarbijdu. J Abu 'd Darda the Companion had two wives of this name—the first Zhayrah died during his lifetime, the second Hujaymah is here alluded to. On her husband's death she vowed to remain a widow, and refused Mu'&wiyah's offer of marriage, saying that she hoped to marry her husband again in Paradise.' She ended her days in great piety between Jerusalem and Damascus. An Nawawi.

§ Meaning one moro illustrious than himself. [ sal ]

,pas^ aWay, whom then shall we consult after ye ?" He replied, "verily Mar- A. H. 86. wan bath a son learned in the law, consult him." Suhaym the freedman of A. D, 703. Abu Hurayrah narrates that A'bdu'l Malik, when be was a lad went in to Abu Hurayrah who said, " this man shall govern Arabia." And TJ'baydah- b-Eiyah al Ghassani, that TJmmti'd Darda said to A'bdu'l Malik, " I never ceased thinking that this authority would come to thee since I saw thee." He replied, " how so ?" She answered, " I never saw any one better than thou art as a narrator of traditions nor one more intelligent as a listener to them." And as Shaa'bi, " I never associated with any one, but I found in myself a superiority over him, save A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwan, and verily

I never related a tradition to him but he added to it, and never a verse of poetry but he capped me in it." Ad Dahabi says that A'bdu'l Malik heard traditions frem Othman and Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa'id and Umm Salimah, Barirah,* Ibn Omar and

Mu'awiyah ; and U'rwah, Khalid and others have related them on his authority. Bakr-b-A'bdu'Uah al Muzani narrates "a Jew whose name was Tusuf embraced Islam, and he had read the scriptures, and he passed by the house of Marwan and said, ' woe to the people of Muhammad from the people of this house,' and I said to him ' for how long ?' He replied, • until the black standards come from Khorasan.' A'bdu'l Malik had a friend who slapped him on the shoulder and said 'fear God in tliy cJiarge of the people of Muhammad when thou rulest them.' He replied,

' !' leave me ! fie on thee, what hath such as I am to do with that dignity

The other answered ' fear God in what concerneth them.' " The narrator continues, " Yazid despatched an army against the people of Mecca and

A'bdu'l Malik said, ' God preserve me, is it sent against the sanctuary of

God?' and Yusuf slapped his shoulder and said, ' thy army against them " ehaU be greater.' Yahya al Ghassani relates, "when Muslim-b-U'kbaht arrived at Medina, I entered the mosque of the Apostle of God and sat down by the side of A'bdu'l Malik, and he said to me, ' art thou of this army ?' I said ' yes.' He replied ' may thy mother be childless of thee ! dost thou not know against whom thou goest ?—against the first-born in Islam and against the son of the disciple of the Apostle of God and against a son of the Possessor of the two Girdles, J against him whose palate the

Apostle of God rubbed with a date ! By Allah, if thou goest to him in the * Barirah was the daughter of Safwan and the freedwoman of Ayesha. An Nawawi. t He commanded the army despatched by Yazxd against Medina, and afterwards to engage Ibn u'z Zubayr at Mecca. (See p. 213.) % See note •, page 85. I 232 ]

A-. H. 86. daytime, thou wilt find him fasting, and if thou goest to him at night, A. D. 705. thou wilt find him praying—and if the people of the earth comhine to slay him, the Lord will assuredly fling them headlong into hell-fire.' And when the Caliphate fell to A'bdu'l Malik, he sent us with al Hajjaj until we slew him." Ibn Abi Ayesha says that the announcement of the government having devolved upon him reached A'bdu'l Malik when the ?!uran was in his

lap, and he closed it and said, " this is my last time with thee ;" and Ma-

lik narrates, " I heard Yahya-b-Sa'id say ' those who prayed in the mosque between midday and the afternoon were A'bdu'l Malik and certain youths with him—when the Imam had read the midday prayers they used to

stand praying till the afternoon ; and it was said to Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, if we could but stand and pray as those pray !' He replied, ' devotion lieth not in much prayer and fasting, but verily devotion consisteth in meditation on the commands of God and abstaining from the things that God hath prohibited.' " Musa'b-b-A'bdu'Uah says, that the first who was named Abdu'l Malik in Islam, was Abdu'l Malik-b-Marwan. And Yahya-b-Bukayr narrates, " I heard Malik say that the first who coined dinars was Abdu'l Malik and he inscribed on them a verse of the Kuran." Mu^a'b states that Abdu'l MaUk inscribed on the dinar, " Say God is One" (Kur. CXII) and on the reverse, " there is no God but God ;" and its circum- ference was a rim of silver, and he inscribed outside the rim, " Muhammad is the Apostle of God, whom He hath sent as a guide unto salvation and the true faith." It is stated in the Awdil of al A'skari with its ascription, that A'bdu'l

Malik was the first who wrote at the headings of letters " Say there is one God," together with the mention of the prophet and the date, and the Grecian emperor wrote, saying, " verily you have introduced in your epistles

somewhat of the mention of your prophet, therefore abandon it, otherwise there will reach you on our dinars the mention of what you will not like." And this pressed sorely upon A'bdu'l Malik and he sent to Khalid-b-Yazid- b-Mu'awiyah and consulted him, who said " forbid their money and strike for the people coins upon which shall be the praise of God and His prophet and do not forego for them that which they dislike in your epistles."

He therefore coined dinars for the people in the year 75. And the first Caliph who was parsimonious was A'bdu'l Malik, and he was named " Sweat of stone," a and obtained the surname of the " Father of flies" from his foul breath. He was the first in Islam who acted ^treacherously and the first forbade who speaking in presence of the Caliphs, and the first who prohibited exhortation to uprightness of conduct.*

* I. e. venturing to suggest to the Calipl, a particular course of conduct or condemning any that lie might have adopted, a not unfrequent practice with holy

fanatics in ^J early times—compare wy_/*4J4 /*>* (Kur. VII.) —

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86. He then records with its ascription on the authority of Ibri u'l Ka- A. H. the 705. labi, that Marwdn-b-u'l Hakam hp,d named A'mr-b-Sa'id-b-i'l Aas to A. D. succession after his own son, but A'bdu'l Malik slew him, and his assassination was the first act of treachery in Islam. One has said

people ! be not prevailed over in your judgments, for verily Ye have experienced perfidy from the sons of Marwan. And verily they slew A'mr and did not act uprightly, of Asserting treachery and fraud to be the command God ; And they slay men ripe of judgment, in sound mind That they may give children to rule over the affairs of men. They jest with the Book of God and take Their desires in iniquities against the Lord, to be a means of approaching him.

He has also recorded with an ascription, (in which comes al Karimi who is suspected of falsehood) on the authority of the father of Jurayj, that he said, " A'bdu'l Malik preached to us in Medina after the death of Ibn u'z Zubayr, in the year of his pilgrimage, the year 75, and after praising and glorifying' God, he said " now, I am not a weak Caliph, to wit Othman, nor a Caliph a hypocrite, to wit Muawiyah, nor a Caliph weak in understanding, to wit Yazid—now, verily the Caliphs before me used to consume and enjoy this property of the State—now forsooth, I will not heal the diseases of this people save with the sword until your spears rise erect for me. Ye thrust upon me the deeds of the Fugitives, but ye do not yourselves according to their works—therefore you will add only to your punishment until the sword shall decide between me and between ye. This A'mr, his kinship was such as it was and his position such as it was—he said with his head— thus, and I said with my sword—thus. Now, I will endure anything from you but attacking a governor or raising a standard—verily the collar which I put upon the neck of A'mr-b-Yazid is with me—by Allah, no one shall do his deed, but I will put it upon his neck—by Allah, no one shall enjoin upon me the fear of God after this my rising to-day but I will smite his neck"—then he descended. Al A'skari then continues that Abdu'l Malik was the first that altered " the public registers from Persian to Arabic and the first that raised up his hands on the pulpit. I remark that ten innovations are thus summed up in him of which five are reprehensible. Ibn Abi Shaybah records with its ascription in the Musannaf on the

authority of Muhammad-b-Sirin, that the first who introduced the call to prayers on the festivals of Fitr and Adhha were the children of Marwan, either A'bdu'l Malik or one of his sons. Abdu'r Kazzak records from Ibn —

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" told me that the first who A. H. 86. ' Jurayj that he said, more than one person has A. D. 705. covered the Kaa'bah with silk brocade was A'bdu'l Malik, but verily those among the jurists who have been best acquainted with that subject, say,

' there hath reached us what we know regarding the covering of the Kaa'- bah more exact, than that.' Yusuf-b-u'l Majishlin* says that when Abdu'l Malik sat down to administer justice, men stood at his head with swords. And al Asma'i, that it was said to Abdu'l Malik, ' greyness is hastening upon thee,' he replied, ' and how could it be otherwise when I give forth my wlole intellect to the people every Friday.' " Muhammad-b-Harb az ?" Ziyadi narrates that it was said to Abdu'l Malik " who is the best of men he replied, " he who is humble in a lofty station, devout though in authority and just though in power." And Ibn Ayesha, that Abdu'l Malik when a man from any of the remote countries came in to him, used to say, " spare me four things—and say after that what thou pleasest—do not lie to me for liars have no judgment, and do not answer me regarding what

I do not ask thee for it is a distraction from what I do ask thee, and do not be extravagant in my praise for I know myself better than thou, and do not incite me against my subjects forverily clemency unto them is more needful for me." Al Maddini says that when Abdu'l Malik was made aware of his approaching death, he said, " by Allah, I would that from the time I was born until to-day, I had been a porter ;" then he commended unto his sons, the fear of God, and warned them against dissension and discord, and said, " be ye as sons of a virtuous mother, and be brave in war, and as a beacon in doing good, for verily war doth not bring death before its time, and as to goodness, its reward and its fame endure, and be ye sweet in bitterness and lenient in severity, and be ye as Ibn A'bd al Aa'la as Shaybani says

' Verily arrows when they are gathered together, and hath sought To break them, a strong man full of rage and might. They resist and cannot be broken, but if they be separated Then rupture and weakness belong to what is dispersed.'

* Abu Tusuf YaVfib, the father of TuBuf, was the son of Abd Salama Tiiaix, a client of the Banu Taym. He was a Mawla of the Munkadirs, a family of Medma. He pretended to have been ravished to heaven in spirit, and to have seen Muhammad with Abu Bakr and Omar at his right and left hand and Omar-b-Adi'l A'ziz at his feet. He died at Baghdad under the Caliphate of al Mahdi, A. H. 164 (780-1). Ibn Khali says that Mdjish-iin signifies rose colour or tinged with red and white, and the name was given liim by Sukaynah-d-of IJusayn-b-Abi f^Hb. Another explanation is that as they were originally from Ispahan, they saluted each other when they met with

" Shlirii-Shdm" and were therefore called Mdjishun. The etymology is not satisfae. tory. — —

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Walid, fear God in that in which I leave thee to succeed me ; and A. H. 86. he -went on to say—" look to al Hajjaj, and honour him, for verily, he it A. D. 705t is who hath coerced for you the pulpits, and he is thy sword, Walid, and thy right hand against those who oppose thee,—therefore hear not the word of any one against him, for thou art more in need of him than he of thee—and summon the people when I die to the covenant of allegiance, and he who saith with his head—thus—say with thy sword—thus." Another relates that when A'bdu'l Malik was on the point of death^ his son al Walid went in unto him, and A'bdu'l Malik recited appositely

How many a visitor hath a sich man, who doth not visit him But to learn whether he shall see him die. " Al Walid wept ; and A'bdu'l Malik said, what is this ? dost thou whine with the whining of a slave girl ? When I am dead, gird up thy loins and go forth and put on the skin of a leopard and lay thy sword upon thy shoulder, and whosoever showeth himself against thee smite him on the neck, and he who submits shall die a natural death." I remark that if the crimes of A'bdu'l Malik had been only the appointing of al Hajjaj over the Muslims and the Companions, bringing them into contempt and degrading them- by death, stripes, reproach and imprisonment—and verily he slew of the Companions and the greatest of the Tabi'is what is beyond count, to say nothing of others besides them, and sealed the neck of Anas and others of the Companions with a seal, intending thereby their humiliation,—then, for these alone, may God not have mercy upon him nor pardon him.

The following are lines of A'bdu'l Malik's By my life, verily, I have lived a long space in the world. And the world hath come nigh to me with the striking of sharp That which delighted me hath gone [swords. Like a flash that hath passed among enduring remains. And O would that I had never busied myself with the kingdom for a moment. Nor diverted myself amidst the joyous pleasures of life. And that I had been as one clad in rags, living on a little For a time until he visited the narrowness of the tombs.

In the history of Ibn A^sakir it is stated on the authority of Ibrahim- b-A'di that he said, " I saw A'bdu'l Malik at a time when four events werei announced to him during the night and he was not moved nor did his face| alter—to wit the death of U'baydu'Uah-b-Ziyad, the death of Hubaysh-b-p— Daljah* in Hijaz, the rupture between himself and the Greek Emperor,

« The only mention I can find of tliis name is in tlie Muntahal Arab where he is mentioned as a traditioaist. 29 [ 226 ]

A. H. 86. and the rebellious march of A'mr-b-Sa'id to Damascus." And in the same men never spoke in- A. D. 705. it is stated on the authority of Asma'i that four correctly either in earnest or jest—as Shaa'bi, A'bdu'l Malik, al Hajjaj- b-Yusuf and Ibn u'l Kirriyyah.* As Silafi mentions in the Tuyyuriyat with its ascription, that A'bdu'l Malik went forth one day and a woman met him and exclaimed, " O prince of the Faithful !" He said, " what is thy business ?" She replied, " my brother died and left six hundred dinars, and there was given to me of his inheritance but one dinar, and it was said to me, ' this is thy due ;' and the thing was incomprehensible to A'bdu'l Malik and he sent to as Shaa'bi

and asked of him, who said, ' yes, this man died and left two daughters and they had two-thirds, four hundred, and a mother who had a sixth, one hundred, and a wife who had an eighth, seventy-five, and twelve brothers, " who had twenty-four, and for this woman remaineth one dinar.' Ibn Abi Shaybah relates in the Musannaf from Khalid-b-Muhammad of the Kuraysh, that A'bdu'l Malik said, " he who desireth to take a female slave for his amusement, let him take a native of Barbary, and who needs one for the sake of children, let him have a Persian, and who desireth to have one for service, let him take a Greek." Abu U'baydah narrates that when al Akhtal recited to A'bdu'l Malik his verse in which he says of the TTmayyads— The most inveterate enemy ends by submittingf to them And they are greatest of men in meekness when they are in power. He said, " slave, take him by the hand, and lead him forth and put upon him robes of honour as many as will cover him up—then he said,"„" verily every tribe hath a poet, and the poet of the Banu Umayyahis al Akhtal."} Al Asma'i says that al Akhtal went A'bdu'l Malik who said, " come now, describe intoxication to me." He replied, " its beginning is pleasure and

* Alu Sulayman Aiytib al Hilffi. Al Kirriyyah -which signifies—^the crop of a bird, was given to Jamaa, mother of Jusham, one of his ancestors. He was an untu- tored Arab of the desert, hut the elegance and precision of his language gave him the reputation of one of the best orators of that people. He was summoned by al HajjAj to his court and honored so far as to be entrusted by him with a mission to A'bdu'l Malik. He was put to death afterwards in A. H. 84 by that tyrant for hafing allowed himself to be compelled to join in the rebellion of Ibn u'l Ashath. Ibn Khali. illsi«>J f For i5'-ft*~:! read : the verse will be found in the Kitab u'l Aghani, "Vol. 7. } The life of al Akhtal is given by M. Causain de Perceval in the Journal Asia-

tique for April ' 34. His real name.was Grhydth-b-Ghauth and. belonged to the Banu Malik, a branch of the Taghlabites. He was a Christian like the greater number of the tribes of Bihr£, Taghlib, and Tandkh and remained attached to his faith, notwithstanding the many seductive offers made to him to abandon it for IsUm. He died at an advanced age recommending Faiazdal^ with his last breath, to cover his rival Jarir with ridicule. [ 227 ]

its end a headache, and between that there is a moment, the crisis of which A. H. 86.

I -will not describe to thee." He said " and what is its crisis ?" he re- A. D. 705. plied, " verily thy kingdom, prince of the Faithful, then is of less account to me than the latchet of my shoe," and he versified, saying, When my boon Companion giveth me to drink and giveth yet again

Three goblets of bubbling wine • , I go forth trailing my garment behind me as if I were lord over thee, prince of the Faithful. At Tha'alabi narrates that A'bdu'l Malik used to say, " I was born in the month of Ramadhdn, and weaned in Eamadhan, and completed learning the JEfuran by heart in Eamad.han, and I reached the age of puberty in Eamadhan, and the Caliphate fell to me in Eamadhan, and I fear lest I die in Eamadhan," and when he entered upon the month of Shawwal and felt safe, he died. (8th October 705.) Of those of note who died in the reign of A'bdu'l Malik were, Ibn Omar, Asma, daughter of as Siddik, Abu Sa'id-b-u'l Mua'Ua, Abu Sa'id al Khudri, Eafi'-b-Khadij, Salimah-b-u'l Akwa', I'rbddh-b-Sariyah, Jabir- b-A'bdi'Uah, A'bdu'Uah-b-Jaa'far-b-Abi Talib, as Saib-b-Yazid, Aslam the freedman of Omar, Abu Idris al Khaulani, the Khadhi Shurayh, Aban-b- Othman-b-A'ffan, al Aa'sha the poet, Ayub-b-u'l Kirriyah, proverbial for eloquence, Khalid-b-Yazid-b-Mu'awiyah, Zirr-b-Hubaysh, Sinan-b-Sali- mah-b-i'l Muhabbik' Suwayd-b-Ghaflah, Abu Wail Tarik-b-Shih^b, Mu- hammad-b-u'l Hanafiyah, A'bdu'Uah-b-Shaddad-b-i'l Had, Abu TJ'baydah- b-A'bdi'llah-b-Masa'ud, A'mr-b-Harith, A'mr-b-Salimah al Jirmi and others.

AL WALrD-B-ABDI'L MALIK.

Al Walid-b-Abdi'l Malik, Abii'l A'bbas, was brought up effeminately, ciiture. Elih-b- says as Shaa'bi, by his parents and he grew up without he was medita- Zinbaa' narrates, " I went in one day to Abdu'l Malik, and ting, and he said, ' I was thinking to whom I should commit the government of Arabia, and I cannot find any one.' I said, ' what dost thou think of Walid al Walid ?" He replied, " verily he is not well versed in grammar." heard this and he rose at once and assembled the grammarians, and sat with them in his house for six months and then came forth more ignoran't than before, and A'bdu'l Malik said, " verily he is excusable." Abd'z Zinad* states

* A native of Medina, a doctor of law and one of the Tati'is. His varied information and his erudition gained him preeminence among the learned of his day. He died A. H. 130, (A. D. 748), aged 66. De Slane, I. K. At page 220 the name ia misspelt Zauad. [ 228 ]

exclaimed from the A. H. 86. that al Walid mispronounced to a great degree ; he A. D. 705. pulpit of the prophet's mosque, " O people of al Medina."* Abu A'krinah ad Dhabi says that al "Walid read from the pulpit, " O that death had made an end of me."t (Eur. LXIX), and below the pulpit stood Omar-b-A'bdi'l Aziz and Sulayman-b-Abdi'l Malik, and Sulayman exclaimed, " by Allah, I would it had." Walid was despotic and tyrannous. Abu Nu'aym records in the Huliyah from Ibn Shaudab that Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz said, " al Walid in Syria, al Hajjaj in I'rak, Othman-b- HabbarahJ in Hijaz and Kurrah-b-Sharik in Egypt, have filled the earth, by Allah, with tyranny." And Ibn Abi Hatim in his Commentary, from Ibrahim-b-Abi Zuraa'h, that al Walid said to him, " will the Caliph be judged ai the resurrection, ?" He replied, "O prince of the Faithful, art thou more honoured of the Lord, or David ? Verily the Lord united in him the prophetic mission and the vicegerency, yet hath he threatened " him in His Book and said, David," &c. (Kur. XXXVIII.) § Al Walid, however, stirred up religious wars in his time and great conquests were made under his Caliphate—and withal he used to circum- cise orphans and appointed teachers for them and assigned for those crip- pled by disease, persons to attend them and for the blind those who should lead them, and he embellished the mosque of the prophet and enlarged it and settled a daily allowance on the doctors of law and the infirm and the poor and forbade their begging of the people, and assigned for them

what would suffice ybr their maintenance a,nd. xegulntedi aSaiis by a thorough " administration ; and Ibn Abi A'ylah says, the Lord have mercy on al Walid, and where is the like of Walid who conquered India and Spain and built the mosque of Damascus, and who used to give platters of silver divided among readers of the Kurau of which I the || the mosque at Jerusalem ?"

Al Walid assumed the Caliphate according to thb covenant of his father in the month of Shawwal in the year 86, and in the year 87, he set

• It is impoBsiMe to render the error in a translation as it consista in a misplaoe- ment of the diacritical points. He said " Ya ahl u'l Medinah" instead of " Ya ahla'l Medinah," the vocative requiring the objective case when the noun is in construe"- tion. t Misplacing the vowel-points again. " Ya laytu ha for Y& layta ha. J The MS. has Janadah. " David verily § ! we have appointed thee a sovereign prince in the earth judge therefore between men with truth and follow not thy own lust, lest it cause thee to err from the way of God." Kur. XXXVIII. Both the MS. and the printed II edition have Ir* (readers of the Kuran,) but it is possible that ]y^ (the poor) might have been the original word and the elision of the «-> taken place through the error of a copyist. —

[ 229 1 about the building of the mosque at Damascus and ordered the enlarge- A. H. 87. ment of the mosque of the prophet and its thorough construction. During A. D. 706. the same BIkand* was taken by force of arms and Bukhara, and Sardinia and Matmtirah,t Kumayldm and the Persian Gulf. And Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, governor of Medina made the pilgrimage with the people, and performed by mistake the ceremony of standingf on Mount A'rafah on, the Day of Victims and was sore grieved thereat. In the year 88 Jurthumah§ and Tddnah|l were taken—and in the year 89, the islands of Majorca and Minorca. In the year 91 were captured Nasaf^ and Kash, Shiiman, and other towns and forts by the Cas- pian Sea. In the year 92 the whole of Spain was subdued and the cities of Armdil** and Katarbtin—and in 93 Daybal and other places were conquered, and Kirakh, Barham, Bajah, al Baidha, Khuwdrazm, Samar- kand, and Sughd. In 94, Kdbul, Farghanah, Shash and Sandarah were taken and in 95, Miikantt and Darband. In 96, Tus and other places. In this year died the Caliph al Walid in the middle of Jumdda'l i^kkirah at the age of fifty-one, (23rd February 715). Ad Dahabi says that religious wars were continuous throughout his reign, and great conquests were made as in the time of Omar-b-u'l Khattab. Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz

saiys, " when I put al Walid in his grave, behold he kicked in his shroud,

that is, he struck the earth with his foot." Among the sayings of al Walid

is the following, "if God had not mentioned the family of Lot in the

* A town between Bukhara and the Oxus.

t On the firontiers near Tarsus. Kumaykim, according to the Muntaha'l Arah is the name of a stream, hut it does not say where. % The Wakf or standing on Mount Arafah should take place on the second day of the pilgrimage, 9th Of Du'l Hijjah, and the ceremony of the Day of Victims on the third day, 10th of Du'l Hijjah.

§ In Najd. On the frontiers of Masisah, north of Syria. II U Nasaf is a large town between Samarkand and the Oxus, and Kash is three para-

• gangs from Jurjan. , * * Both these places are in Sind ; Ibn u'l Athir writes the second name Kannazbur and in some readings Firbur, Kimur and Fabryur. Daybal is in Sind. Of Barham I can find no mention, but Ibn Athir speaks of a place, Brahmauabad in Sind, taken and destroyed at this time. Bajah, Yakut places in Africa, and al Baidha so called from its white citadel, in the district of Persepolis. Kirakh is written Kiraj by Ibn Athir and he states that Muhammad-b-ul !?.asim who commanded the army in Sind, hearing at Multdn of the death of his uncle al Hajjaj, returned at once to Eori Bakkar and thence proceeded to Kiraj. I am inoUned to ihink that this must be Karachi, as Daybal or Dewal is stated by Blphinstone to have been probably close to that seaport. See Blph. India, p. 263, where will be found a sketch of Kasim's conquests. tt Mukan is in Adarbijan. Tus had already been conquered in the time of Othman. Another reading is Tuways which I cannot find, but Yakut mentions a district Tawa-

wis, near Bukhara. The MS. is here wanting. [ aso ]

A. H, 96. Kuran, (VII, XV, XXVII, LXVI) I wotdd never have thought that any A. D. 715. one would act thus." Of persons of note who died in the reign of al Walid, were U'tbah- b-A'bdu's Sulma, al Mikddm-b-Ma'di Karb, A'bdu'llah-b-Bashr al Mazini, A'bdu'Uah-b- Abi Aufa, Abu'l A'aliyah, Jabir-b-Zayd, Anas-b-Malik, Sahl-b- Saa'd, as Saib-b-Yazid, as Saib-b-Khallad, Khubayb-b-A'bdi'llah-b-i'z Zubayr, Bilal-b-Abi'd Dardd,, Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, Abu Salimah-b-A'bdi'r Eahman, Abu Bakr-b-A'bdi'r Eahmdn, Sa'id-b-Jubayr martyred, slain by al Hajjaj may the Lord curse him, Ibrahim an Nakha'i, Mutarrif, Ibrahim- b-A'bdi'r Kahman-b-A'uf, al A'jjaj the poet and others.

SULAYMAN-B-A'BDI'L MALIK.

Sulayman-b-A'bdi'l Malik, Abu Aytib, was among the best of the kings of the Banu Umayyah, and he assumed the Caliphate according t© the covenant of his father in succession to his brother, in Jumada'l Akhi- rah of the year 96. He has related a few traditions on the authority of his father and A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Hubayrah, and his son A'bdu'I Wahid and uz Zuhri have transmitted them from him. He was eloquent, fluent of speech, preferring justice, a lover of war. He was born in the year 60. It is to be accounted among his merits that Omar-b-Abdi'l A'ziz was as his prime minister, and he used to follow his

beneficial counsels ; and he deposed the revenue collectors of al Hajjaj and released those who were in the prisons of I'rak, and restored public prayers to their original appointed times, the Banu Umayyah having suffered them to lapse into dilatoriness. Ibn Sirin says, " the Lord have mercy on Sulayman who inaugurated his Caliphate by the restoration of prayers to

their stated times, and closed it by appointing as his successor Omar-b- .^'bdi'l A'ziz." Sulayman forbade singing, and he was among those famed as large eaters, for he eat at a sitting seventy pomegranates, a lamb, six fowls, and a Makkiik* of Taif currants. Tahya al Ghassani says that Sulayman looked into a mirror and his youthfulness and beauty surprised him, and he said, " Muhammad was the prophet, and Abu Bakr Witness to the Truth, and Omar the Discriminator, and Othman the Bashful, and Mddwiyah the Forbearing, and Yazid the Patient, and A'bdu'I Malik the Administrator, and Walid the Tyrant, and I am the Young King ;" but the month in which he thus spoke did not pass over him but he died, and the day of his death was Friday the 10th of Safar in the year 99 (22nd Sept.

* Atout 11 pounds and a quarter. It is not astoniehmg that after this feat, he had an attack of iudigeetion which proved fatal. [ 231 ]

717). During his reign were conquered Jurjan, and the Iron Portress,* A. H.'99. and Sarda, and Shakka, and Tabristan and the city of as Sakalibah.f A. D. 7l7. Of persons of note that died during his time were, Kays-b-Abi Hazim, Mahmud-b-Labid, al Hasan-b-i'l Husayn-b-A'li, Kurayb freedman of Ibn A'bbas, A'bdu'r Eahman-b-i'l Aswad an Nakha'i and others. A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Hassdn al Kandnl says, that Sulaymdn died at Dabik,J engaged in leading an expedition. When he sickened, he said to Eajd-b-Hayat, " who is to succeed me in this authority ? shall I appoint my son?" He replied, "he is absent." He said, " then my other son ?" He answered, " he is a child." He said, " then whom dost thou advise ?" He replied, " I think that thou shouldst appoint Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz." He said, " I fear that my brothers will not consent." He rejoined, " appoint Omar, and after him Tazid-b-A'bdi'l Malik and write a document and seal it and summon them to take a covenant regarding it sealed." He replied, " vferily thou hast conceived wisely." Thereupon he called for paper and wrote the covenant therein and gave it Eaja, and said, " go forth unto the people and let them make a covenant regarding that which is within it, sealed as it is." And he went forth and said, " verily the prince o£ the Faithful hath commanded ye to make a covenant of allegiance for him wJiose name is in this document." They said, " who is in it ?" He answered, " It is sealed—ye cannot be informed concerning the one who is in it until the Caliph dieth." They said, " we will not swear allegiance." And he returned to Sulayman and informed him of it, and he said, "go to the commander of the guards and the watch, and assemble the people and order them to take the oath, and he who refuses smite his neck." And they swore allegiance. Eaja relates, " while I was returning, behold I met His- ham and he said to me, Eaja, verily thou knowest thy credit with me, and verily the prince of the Faithful hath done a thing and I know not what it is, and verily I fear that it may be that he hath put the Caliphate

• I do not find any sucli name in YakAt, it is protaMy some local name given to a strong fort, unless Darband is meant, which was defended by Anushirwan by an iron gate. Neither Sarda or Shakka are given, nor are they noticed by Ibn u'l Athir. t So likewise Ibn u'l Athir, Tabari calls it Sakalie. WeU says that it should be Sakalibah -which he considers a district to the N. and N. W. of Constantinople. He can find no town of that name. Yakut makes as Sakalibah a (slav) district " between Bulgaria, and Constantinople." The word city I imagine, must be an error, or must refer to the then capital city of the Thracian towns of the Propontis, round which Mas- lamah wheeled his army after the passage of Abydus, to invest Constantinople defended by Leo the Isaurian. An army of Bulgarians from the Danube at the oaU of Leo fell upon the Saracen army and slaughtered twenty-two thousand. See Gibbon, Ch. LIL

J Near Chalcis. He was preparing, according to Gibbon, to lead against Constan- tinople the remaining forces of the East. [ 232 ]

put it aside from me, tell me A. H. 99. from me, and if it be indeed that he hath that I may see what to do ," and I A. D. 717. while there is yet time ia the affair, " prince of the Faithful hath asked me to conceal a said, good God ! the never be." Then I met Omar-b- thing, and shall I tell it to thee ? that can " a grave thought has occurred A'bdi'l A'ziz and he said to me, Eaja, it that he hath put the to my mind concerning this man, I fear lest be Caliphate upon me and I am not equal to this position, therefore tell me escape from it as long while there is yet time in the affair, perchance I may " the Faithful asked to as I live." I said, good God ! the prince of me conceal a thing and shall I tell it to thee ?" Shortly after Sulayman died

and the document was opened, when lo ! within was the covenant for Omar- b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, and the faces of the sons of A'bdu'l Malik changed, but when they heard that after him was to be Yazid the son of A'bdu'l Malik, but he they returned and came to Omar and did homage to him as Caliph ; was stupified at it, and was not able to rise until they took him by the arms and brought him to the pulpit and helped him to mount it. He sat " £1 long time without speaking, at last Eaja said to them, do ye not stand up to the prince of the Faithful to swear allegiance to him ?" Then they made the covenant with him, and he stretched out his hand to them. Then " he arose and praised God and glorified Him and said, O people, I am not one who decideth but one who executeth, nor one who beginneth but one who followeth—and verily the countries and cities round about ye, if they submit as ye have submitted then I am your ruler,

but if they refuse then I am not a ruler for ye." Then he descended, and there came to him the master of the horse, and he said, " what is this?" The man replied, "the Caliph's charger." He said, " I have no need of it—bring me my mule," and they brought him his mule and he proceeded to his house. Then he called for an ink horn and wrote with his own hand to the prefects of the provinces. Eaja says, " I thought that he would soon lack strength, but when I saw his actions in his

correspondence, I knew that he would become powerful." It is related

that there fell some words between Marwan-b-A'bdu'l Malik* and Sulay- mdn during the Caliphate of Sulaymdn, who said to him " O son of an ttncircumcised woman !" and Marwan opened his mouth to answer him, when Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz stopped his mouth and said, " I conjure thee for God's sake—he is thy Imam and thy brother and he is thy elder in years." And Marwan held his peace, and said, " thou hast slain me, by Allah, verily thou hast put vdthin me that which is hotter than fire," and he died before the evening. Ibn A'bi'd Dunya records on the authority of Ziyad-b-Othm^n that he went in unto Sulaym4n-b-A'bdi'l Malik when his son Ayiib died, and

• It must be rememhered that A'bdu'l Malik had seventeen sons. [ 233 ]

A. H: 99. said, " prince of the Faithful, verily A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Abi Bakrah

used to say ' he who desireth the things that are eternal, let him habitu- A. D. 717. " ate himself to misfortunes.'

OMAR-B-A'BDI'L A'ZfZ.

Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz-b-Marwdn—the good Caliph—Abu Hafs, was the fifth of the orthodox Caliphs. Sufy^n at Thauri says that the five Caliphs are Abu Bakr, Omar, Othmdn, A'li, and Omar-b-A'bdi'l Aziz (Abu Dauud). Omar was born at Hulwan, a village in Egypt, of which his father was governor in the year of the Flight 61, or as some say 63, His mother was Umm A'asim, daughter of A'asim-b-Omar-b-i'l Khattdb. On Omar's face was a scar, a horse having kicked him in the forehead when he was

a boy. His father wiping the blood off him said, " if thou art he of the Scar of the Banu Umayyah, verily thou art fortunate." (Ibn A'sakir.) Omar-b-u'l Khattab used to say, " of my posterity there shall be a man

with a scar in his face who shall fill the earth with justice" (at Tirmidi). The opinion of his father regarding him proved true. Ibn Saa'd records that Omar-b-u'l Khattab said, " would that I knew which of my posterity

shall be the possessor of the letter Shin* in Ms name—he who is to fill the earth with justice as it hath been filled with tyranny." And from Ibn Omar that he said, " we used to say that the world would not pass away until a man of the posterity of Omar should rule, doing according to the works of Omar, and Bilal-b-A'bdi'Uah-b-Omar had a mole upon his face,

and they used to think that it was he until the Lord sent Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz." Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz related traditions on the authority of his father

and Anas and others ; and az Zuhri, Muhammad-b-u'l Munkadir, Yahya- b-Sa'id the Auxiliary, Maslamah-b-A'bdi'l Malik, Eaja-b-Hayat and many more related them on his. He learnt the Kuran when he was yet a child, and his father sent him to Medina to be instructed there, and he used to attend U'baydu'llah-b- A'bdi'llah,t studying science under his tuition. When his father died, A'bdu'l Malik sent for him to Damascus and married him to his daughter,

* The word ' scar' or fracture begins with that letter. t Abu Ahdu'Uah U'baydu'Uah-b-A'bdi'llah-'b-tl'thah, was one of the seven great jurisconsidts of Medina. Az Zuhri called him an ocean of knowledge, and Omar-b-

Abdi'l Aziz used to saj' that an evening with Il'baydu'llah was worth a thousand pieces of gold out of the public treasury. He died at Medina A. H. 102 (720-1). One of his poems is given in the Hamdsah. Ibn KhaU. 30 >

[ 234 ]

A. H. 99. Fdtimah. Even before his Caliphate he walked in virtue save that he was A. D. 717. over given to luxury, and the envious that found fault with him did not reproach him save for excess in luxury and haughtiness in his gait. When al Walid assumed the Caliphate, he made Omar governor of Medina and he ruled it from the year 86 to the year 93 when he was removed, and he went to Syria. After this, verily, al Walid determined to set aside his

brother Sulayman from the succession, and to appoint his own son ; and many of the principal men, willingly or unwillingly obeyed him, but Omar- b-A'bdi'l A'ziz objected, and said, " the covenant unto Sulayman is upon our necks," and he was firm, and al Walid immured him, but he was interceded for after three days and they found him with his neck drooping from exhaustion. Sulayman learnt this regarding him and nominated him to the succession in the Caliphate. Zayd-b-Aslam narrates that Anas said, " I never prayed behind an Imam after the Apostle of God, resembling the Apostle of God more in

the manner of his praying, than this youth, i. e., Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz— while he was governor of Medina." Zayd-b-Aslam adds, "he used to dwell long in his bendings and prostrations, and shortened the time of standing and sitting," (this tradition has several lines of ascription to Anas—recorded by al Bayhaki and others). Muhammad-b-A'li-b-i'l Husayn was asked regarding Omar-b-A'bdi'l

A'ziz, and he said, " he is the noblest of the Banu Umayyah and verily he wUl be raised up at the day of resurrection, unequalled and alone." Maymiin-b-Mihran said that the learned in comparison with Omar A'bdi'l A'ziz were mere students, Abd Nuaym records on the authority of Eiyah-b-U'baydah by a sound ascription, that he said, " Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz went forth to prayers, and an old man was leaning on his arm, and I

said to myself, ' verily this old man is rude ;' and when he had prayed and

entered his house, I joined him and said, ' may God prosper the Amir, who was the old man that was leaning on thy arm ?' He replied, O Riyah didst thou see him ?' I said ' yes.' He answered, ' I do not hold thee to be other than a virtuous man—that was my brother al Khidhr* who came to me and told me that I shall rule this people, and shall act with justice unto them.' " And from Abd Hashim that a man went to Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz and said, " I saw the prophet in a dream, with Abd Bakr on

his right hand and Omar on his left, and lo ! two men were disputing and thou wert seated before him, and he said to thee. ' Omar when thou rulest, do according to the works of these two, of Abd Bakr and Omar.'

* This person as is well known, is regarded as a prophet, and was supposed to have been the minister of an ancient king of Persia. By some he is said to he Elias, and by others St, George of England. His aid is frequently invoked by Muljammadan story-tellers whether the knot be worthy of his untying or otherwise. [ 235 ]

And Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz made him swear before God, sm/ing ' didst thou -^- H. 99. see this ?' And he swore, and Omar wept." A. D. 717. He was acknowledged Caliph according to the covenant of Sulayman in the month of Safar 99 as hath gone before, and he continued in the Cali- phate for two years and five months about the duration of thai ot Ahi. Bakr, filling the earth with justice, removing grievances and establishing good laws. When the writi;ig of the covenant was read containing his name, he was stupified and said, " by Allah, verily I never asked for this authority of God." The master of the horse brought him the Caliph's charger, but he refused it, and said, " bring me my mule." Hakam-b-Omar relates, " I was present with Omar-b-Abdi'l A'ziz when the equerries came demanding of him provender j^j" the horses and the stipends of their attendants. He exclaimed, * send them to the Syrian towns, and let any one buy them who listeth, and put the prices of them with the property of the Lord—this grey she mule sufllceth for me.' " Omar-b-Darr says, that when Omar returned from the funeral of Sulayman, his freedman said to him " why do I see thee sad ?" He replied, " one should grieve to be in the station that I am in,—there is not one of this people, but I wish to give him his due without his writing to me about it or demanding it from me." And from A'mr-b-Muhajir and others, that when Omar was appointed Caliph, he stood up before the people and- praised God and glorified him " and said, people ! there will be no revealed Book after the Kuran and no prophet after Muhammad,—now verily I am not one who decideth but one who exeouteth, nor one who beginneth but one who followeth, and I am not better than any one of ye but I am more forbearing in meekness, and verily a man that fleeth from a tyrannous Imam, doeth not wrong-

fully—surely there is no obedience due from the creature to what is sinful before the Creator." And from az Zuhri, that Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz wrote to Salim-b-A'bdi'Uah* to describe to him the practice of Omar-b-u'l Khat- tab concerning the poor-rate, and he wrote to him regarding what he asked telling him, " verily if thou doest unto thy age and thy people according to the works of Omar unto his age and people, thou wilt be greater before the Lord than Omar." And from Hammadf.that when Omar was appointed Caliph he wept and said ifo a certom ^erso«. "0! such a one, dost

* Grandaon of Omar-b-u'l Khattab. t Abu'l Kasim Paminad-b-AW Layla Saptir (or Maysara) a Daylamite torn at Kufah called ar Eawiyah (the narrator) because lie was able, according to his own account to the Caliph al "Walid-b-A'bdi'l Malik, to recite the poems of more poets than the Caliph had ever read or heard of. In one sitting he recited two thousand poems by poets who flourished before Muhammad, and it was he who united in one collection the seven "Muallakat." He was treated by the Umayyads with preference and honour. He was bom A. H. 95 (713—4) and died in 155 (A. D. 772). Ibn KhalL [ 236 ]

A. H. 99. thou fear on my account ?" He replied, " how is thy desii-e with regard A. D. 717. to money ?" He said, " I have no love for it." He answered, " then fear not for the Lord will assist thee." And from Mughirah, that at the time Omar succeeded to the Caliphate, he assembled the sons of Marwan and said, " verily the Apostle of God possessed the estate of Fadak, from which he derived funds and supported by it the children of the Banu Hashim and gave in marriage their orphans by its means, and verily Fatimah asked

him to bestow it upon her and he refused, and it continued thus during the

lifetime of Abu Bakr and Omar. Afterwards Marwdn assigned it away, and it hath come into the hands of Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz. Now I think

that a thing forbidden to Fatimah by the Apostle of God is no right of

mine, and verily I call ye to witness that I have restored it to what it was in the time of the Apostle of God." And from al Layth, that when Omar became Caliph, he began with his kindred and the people of his house, and confiscated what was in their hand, and called their substance, exactions. Asma-b-U'bayd narrates that A'nbasah-b-Sa'id-b-i'l A'as went in to " Omar-b-A'hdi'l A'ziz and said, O prince of the Faithful ! the Caliphs before thee used to bestow gifts but thou hast forbidden them to us, and I have a family and an estate—wilt thou permit me to go to my estate to improve the circumstances of mj iamilj ?" He replied, " the most beloved of ye to me is he who spares me, his keep." Then he added, " be freq^uent in the remembrance of death, for if thou be in straitened circumstances

it will enlarge them for thee, and if in- affluence it will straiten it upon thee."

Furdt-b-u'l Sdib narrates that Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz said to his wife Fatimah, daughter of A'bdu'l Malik who possessed a jewel which her father had given her, the like of which had never been seen, " choose whether thou wilt give up thy jewel to the public treasury, or suffer me to separate from thee, for verily I am loth that I and thou and it should be in one house." She replied, "I prefer thee to it, and to double «fe ©aZwe." He therefore gave orders and it was taken away and placed in the public treasury of the Muslims ; and when Omar died, and Yazid succeeded to the Caliphate, he said to Fatimah, " dost thou wish that I should return

it to thee ?" she answered, " no, by Allah, I did not care for it during his life and shall I take it again after his death ?" A'bdu'l A'ziz says that

one of the prefects of Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'zi'z wrote to him, sayinff—" verily

our city is in ill condition—if the prince of the Faithful thinketh fit to assign us money that we may repair it, let him do so :" and Omar wrote " to him, saying, when thou readest this letter, fortify it with justice and purify its streets from oppression—for verily that is its restoration, and peace be to thee." Ibrahim as Sakuni states that Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz said, " I never

lied from the time that I knew that a lie was a disgrace to its utterer." [ 237 ]

And Kays-b'Jubayr says that Omar among the Banu Umayyah is like the A. H. 99. true believer of the family of Pharaoh.* And Maymtin-b-Mihran, that the A. D. 717* Lord used to be regardful of His people by means of a succession of prophets, but that verily the Lord now watcheth over His people through Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz. And Wahb-b-Munabbah, "if there be a guide among this people it is Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz." Muhammad-b-Pudhalah narrates that A'bdu'Uah-b-Omar-b-A'bdil A'ziz passed by the dwelling of a monk in Mesopotamia, and the monk went down to him, and he had never visited any one before, and said, " knowest thou why I have come down to thee ?" He replied, " no." He answered, " on account of the merits of thy father, I find him among the just Imams in the position of the month of Eajab among the sacred months ;" Aytib-b-Suwayd has interpreted this to mean that the throe consecutive months Du'l Kaa'dah, Du'l Hijjah, and al Muharram, are Abti

Bakr, Omar and Othman, and Eajab, separate from them is Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz. Hasan al Kassab says, " I saw wolves grazing with sheep in the desert during the Caliphate of Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz and I said,

' !' good God ! a wolf among sheep apd not injuring them The shepherd " answered, " when the head is sound, there is no harm to the body.' Malik-b-Dinar narrates that when Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz ruled, the shepherds said, " on account of this good man who rules the people as a just Caliph, the wolves restrain themselves from our flocks." And Miisa-b-Aa'yan, " we were tending sheep in Kirman during the Caliphate of Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz, and the sheep and the wolf used to pasture in one place, but meanwhile one night, behold, a wolf attacked a sheep, and I said, ' I cannot but think that the just man is dead,' and they enquired and found that he had died that night." Walid-b-Muslim states that he had heard that a man in Khurasan related, saying, " a stranger came to me in my sleep and said, ' when he of the Scar among the sons of Marwan rules, go and swear allegiance to him for he is a just Imam,' and I began whenever a Caliph arose, to ask regarding him until Omar A'bdi'l A'ziz succeeded, and the stranger came to me three times in my sleep, so 1 set out and swore allegiance to him." He also states on the authority of Habib-br Hind al Aslami that he said, " Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab said to me, 'verily the Caliphs are three, Abu Bakr, Omar, and > Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz,' I replied, Abu Bakr and Omar, verily we know them, but who is Omar ? He answered, ' if thou livest thou wilt attain to Ms time, and if thou diest lefore that he will come after thee.' I remark that Ibn u'l Musayyab died before the Caliphate of Omar." Ibn A'un says that when Ibn Sirin was asked regarding wine, he said, *' the Imam of salvation that is, Omar-b-A'bdil A'ziz has forbidden its

* See page 36, Note •. [ 238 ]

A. H. 99. use." And al Hasan declared, that if there is a Mahdi,* it is Omar-b- A. D. 717. A'bdi'l A'ziz and if not he, then there is no other than Jesus the son of Mary." Malik-b-Dinar said—"people assert that Malik is an ascetic, whereas the ascetic is Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, for the world came to him. " and he abandoned it." And Yunas-b-Abi, Shabib, I saw Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz and verily the waist-band of his drawers was hidden in the folds of

fat of his stomach : I saw him again after he had become Caliph, and if I had wished to count his ribs without touching them I could have done so." His son A'bdu'l A'zfz.said, " Abu Jaa'far al Manslir enquired of me, gayvng, " what was the income of thy father when he succeeded to the Caliphate?" I replied "forty thousand dinars?" He asked, "and how- much when he died ?" I replied, " Four hundred dinars, and if he had lived longer it would have been less." Maslamah-b-A'bdi'l Malik narrates,

" I went in to Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz to visit him in his illness, and lo, he was wearing a dirty shirt and I said to Fatimah the daughter of A'bdu'l Malik, " dost thou not wash his shirt ?" she replied, " by AUah, he has no other." Abu Umayyah, the eunuch, the slave of Omar said, " I went in one day to my mistress, and she gave me a meal of lentils, and I said, " every day lentils !" she replied, " my son, such is the meal of thy master the prince of the Faithful." When death was approaching, he—sent me with a dinar, to the people of the monastery of Sima'dn-^ to say " if ye sell me a place for my grave, it is well otherwise I will turn from ye elsewhere: and I went to them and they answered " were it not that we are averse to his leaving us we would not consent." Al A'un-b-u'l Maa'ramar narrates that Omar went to his wife and said, " O Fatimah, hast thou a dirham that I may buy some grapes with it ?" She said, " no'' and added, " and thou, the prince of the Faithful, dost thou not possess a dirham wherewith to buy grapes ?" He replied, " this is easier for me than to labour under manacles in hell." Sahl-b-Sadakah says that when Omar was appointed Caliph, lamentation was heard in his house and they enquired about it and people said^

* " The directed" the surname of the twelfth and last Jm&ca of the race of

A'U. His name was Abu'l ^asim Muliammad son of Hasan aJ. A'skari the eleventh

Imdm. He was horn at Sarramanra 265 A. H., and he descended into a, cistern in presence of his mother at 9 years of age, whence he is expected to return towards the end of the world to join the Messiah in combating Antichrist and establishing

one faith. See D. Herb, and Ibn KhaU. f In the district about Damascus—a pleasant spot says Yatfit surrounded by gardens and buildings—Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz was buried here but the site of his. grava is unknown. [ a39 ] that Omar had given his female slaves a choice, saying, " verily business A. H. 99. hath come upon me that will keep me engaged from ye ; therefore she that A. D. 717. wishes that I should free her, I hereby free her, and she that desires that I should retain her, I will retain her though I have no need of her"—and they wept in despair at it. According to his wife Patimah, when he entered, the bouse, he used to throw himself down at his place of. prayer and would not cease to weep and pray until the drowsiness of his eyes overpowered him and when he awoke, he would do the same thing throughout the night.

Al Walid-b-Abi'l Musayyab said, " I never knew any one more in fear of the Lord than Omar." And Sa'id-b-Su'ayd, that Omar prayed before the people on a Friday, wearing a shirt patched at the collar in front and behind, and a man said to him, " prince of the Faithful, verily God hath given unto thee, and wert thou but to clothe thyself properly !"

Omar looked down awhile, then raised his head and said, " moderation is most meritorious in affluence, and pardon most praiseworthy in power."

Maymdn-b-Mihran narrates, " I heard Omar say, ' if I remained among you fifty years, I should not perfect justice amogst you—verily I desire a thing, but fear lest your hearts endure it not, I therefore leave the world with that in my desire unfulfilled—wherefore if your hearts are " averse to this thing, they must rest content with the other.'

And Ibrahim-b-Maysarah, " I said to Talis* ' is Omar A'bdu'l A'ziz the Mahdi ?' He replied, ' he is a Mahdi but not the Mahdi, for he hath not entirely perfected justice.' " Omar-b-TJsayd says, " it was before Omar's death that a man used to come to us with a considerable sum of money and say, ' use this as ye think fit,' and he continued until he had brought all his property : thus Omar verily provided for the wants of the people." And Juwayriyah,t " we went in to Fatimah, the daughter of A'li-b-Abi Talib, and she praised Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz and said, ' if he had remained with'us, " we should have needed none after him.' A'ta-b-Abi EabahJ narrates, " Fatimah the wife of Omar, told me that she went in to him, and he was at his place of prayer, his tears streaming

* Abu A'bdu'r Eahmiln Ta

J He was a Mulatto bom at al Janad and Mawla to the Fikr family at Mecca. He held a high rank as a Tabi'i, a jurisconsult and ascetic and he and al Mujahid were tiie muftis of Mecca. He died A. H. U5 (733-4) at the age of 88. Ibn KhaU. •

[ 240 ]

A. H. 99. over his beard, and she said, ' prince of the Faithful, has anything A. D. 717. happened?' He replied, 'OFitimah, verily lam invested with authority over the people of Muhammad, the Arabs among them and the foreigners, and I was meditating upon the poor that are starving and the sick that are destitute, and the naked that are in distress, and the oppressed that are stricken, and the stranger that is in prison and the venerable elder, and him that hath a large family and small means, and the like of them in the countries of the earth and the distant provinces, and I felt that my Lord would ask an account of them at my hands on the day of resurrection, and I feared that no defence would avail me, and I wept.' " Al Auzaa'i says that Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz was seated in his house and virith him were the chiefs of the Banu Umayyah, and he said, " do ye wish that I should give each one of you to rule over a province ?" and one of them said, " why dost thou propose to us what thou wilt not perform ?" He replied, " do

ye see this carpet of mine, verily I know that it will fall to ruin and decay, yet verily I am loth that ye should soil it with your feet—therefore how- can I place ye in authority over my administration—in authority over the property of the Muslims and their persons ? this cannot be for you— it cannot be !" And they said to him, " why, have we not kinship—have we not a claim ?" He replied,—" ye and the most remote of the Muslims are but equal in my sight in this matter, save that a long journey's distance keeps that man of the Muslims from me." Hamid narrates, " al Hasan dictated to me a letter addressed to Omar- b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, in which he employed all his powers of persuasion and lamented his needs and his larje family, and Omar ordered him a present." And al Auzda'i, that when Omar desired to punish a man, he kept him in confinement for three days and then punished him, not wishing to be hasty in the first impulse of anger. And al Juayriyah-b-Asma, that Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz said, " my heart is most covetous—nothing of worldly goods is given to it but it desires something still better, and when I was given that than which nothing in the world is greater, my heart longed for that which is better than it—namely, heaven." According to A'mr-b-Muhajir the expenditure of Omar every day was two dirhams. Yusuf-b-Ya'kub al Kahili says that Omar used to wear at night a cloak of camel's hair and the lamp in his house was placed on the top of three reeds upon which was some clay. Omar ordered his servant to heat some water for him and he went and heated a vessel in the public kitchen, whereupon Omar ordered him to take a dirham's worth of wood and place it in the kitchen. (A'td al Khurasani.) He used to light a wax-caudle for himself when engaged in the needs of the Muslims, and when he had finished their business, he would extinguish it and light his own lamp. (A'mr-b-Muhajir.) The Caliph was always attended by three hundred guards and three hundred armed attendants, but Omar said to the guards, " verily I have among ye [ 24.1 ]

Fate as a defender and Deatt as a guard—he among ye who remains, A. H. 99. shall have ten dinars, and whoso wishes may go to his family." A. D. 717.

{A.1 Hakam-b-Omar.) A'mr-b-Muhajir relates, " Omar once longed for an apple, and one of the people of his house made him a present of

' one, and he said, how sweet is its odour, and how beautiful it is ! take

it O slave ! to him who sent it, and give him greeting and say to him

" verily thy present hath pleased us very much." I said to him, ' O prince

of the Faithful, he is the son of thy uncle and one of thy own house, and

verily I have heard that the prophet used to eat such presents ;' he replied,

' fie on thee —verily a present to the prophet was a present, but to us in these days it is a bribe.' " " I never knew Omar during his Caliphate," says Ibrahim-b-Maysarah, " strike any one but one man who had received presents from Mu'awiyah, and he struck him three stripes." When Omar discontinued to the people of his house, the special allowance which used

to be issued to them, they murmured against it, but he said, " my property

will not be enough for ye all, yet as for this money, your claim to it is as the claim of a man dwelling afar at-Birku'l Ghimad."* (Al Auzaa'i.) He also wrote to cancel such orders of al Hajjaj as were opposed to public opinion. Yahya al Ghassani says, " when Omar made me prefect of Mosul, I found theft, and house-breaking more common there than in the majority of cities, wherefore I wrote to inform him of the state of the city and asked him whether I should take men up on suspicion and chastise them on mere accusation, or arrest them on clear proof and according as the law

directed ; he wrote to me in reply that I should arrest them only on clear proof and as the law directed, for if justice would not make them honest, then may God not reform them. I therefore acted accordingly and I did not leave Mosul until it had become one of the most orderly of cities and least frequent in theft and house-breaking." And Eaja-b-Hayat narrates, " I was conversing one night with Omar when the lamp grew dim aod " ?" near it was an attendant asZ«ep. I exclaimed, shall I rouse him He " said, " no." I said, " shall not I get up then ?" He replied, it is not polite for a man to exact service from his guest ;" and he went to the oil flask and trimmed the lamp and returned and said, " I arose as Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz and have returned as Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz." According to Nuaym, Omar's secretary, Omar said, " fear of vainglory verily prevents me from speaking much." MakMl observes, " if I were to swear to it I would but speak the. truth, that I never saw any one more pious and god- fearing than Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz." When the niention of death was made, Omar, says Sa'id-b-U'rubah, would tremble in all his joints. He used to assemble every night the doctors of law and converse with them on death and the resurrection, and

* Or Birku'l Ghamad a town at the extreme comer of Yaman. Yakut M. B. 31 : — —

[ 242 ]

A. H. 99. they would weep as if a bier were before them. (A'ta.) Ubaydu'llah-b- A. D. 717. A'yzar narrates, " Omar preached to us in Syria from a pulpit of clay and

said, ' people purify your inner thoughts and your exterior conduct will be amended—direct your actions with regard .to the world to come, and your worldly concerns will not be amiss—and know that a man between whom and Adam there is no living ancestor, has assuredly a heriditary " portiotfin death,* peace be to ye.' The Banu Marwan assembled at Omar's gate and said to his son A'bdu'l Malik—" say to thy father that the Caliphs before him used to make grants to us and recognised our station, but verily thy father hath prohibited to us that which is in his hands ;" and his son went in to him and informed him, and he replied, " tell them forsooth my father says to ye * verily I fear, if I should rebel against my Lord, the punishment of the Great Day.' " (Kur. VI,) (Wuhayb-b-u'l Ward). Omar said, " take ye for counsel that which those before ye approved to be good, and take not that which is opposed to them, for they were better than ye and wiser." Jarirf once came and took his post for a long time at the gate of Omar who would not notice him, whereupon he wrote to A'un-b-A'bdi'Uah who was a confidant of Omar's

reader with the flowing turban,

This is thy day, verily my day hath passed. Tell our Caliph if thou meetest him 1 am at the gate like one chained to a pillar. (Al Auza'ai.) When Omar succeeded to the Caliphate, Bilal-b-Abi Bardah went and congratulated him and said, there have been those whom the Caliphate

ennobled, but thou hast ennobled it, and there have been those whom it has graced it, but thou bast lent a grace to it and thou art as Malik-b- Asma says

" Thou addest a sweet odour to the most delicious fragance If thou but touch it—where is thy like ? where ?

For lo ! the pearl gives lustre to the beauty of the face But the beauty of thy face gives lustre to the pearl." (Jdayriyah.)

When A'bdu'l Malik-b-Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz died, Omar began to praise " him whereupon Maslamah J said, O prince of the Faithful, if he had lived thou wouldst have made him heir." He said, " no," He answered

• Lame mentions this (art tWj* ) as a tradition. Abu Hazrah Jarir-b-A'tiyai— t the poet—the great rival of Farazda^ and al Akhtal—for his history consult Ibn Khali. Kitabu'l Aghani—and the Journal Asiatique for April '34.

t Son of A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwfin. [ 243 ]

" and why not, for thou wert but now praising him." Omar said, " I fear A. H. 99. that there might have been a consideration in my regard towards him, such A. D. 717. a consideration as a son holds in the eye of his father," (Ju'dnah). A man said to Omar—" leave me a charge." He said, " I commend to thee the. fear of God and the preferring of Him above all fhings, and affliction will be withheld from thee and help will be vouchsafed to thee from> God" (Ghassan.) The daughter* of XJsamah-b-Zayd went in to Omar and he arose before

her and advanced towards her, and made her sit down in his seat,, and he sat down before her and left her no wish ungratificd. (Abu A'mr.) The

sons of Marwan assembled together and they said, " if we went in to the- prince of the Faithful, we might naake him favourably disposed towards us by pleasantry ;" and they entered and one among them spake and jested, and Omar regarded him;, then another added his jest to the other's, and Omar said, " is it for this ye have assembled—for the lowest kind o£ discourse and that which breeds enmities ? When ye assemble, betake yourselves to the Book of God, and if ye go beyond that, then to the laws

of the Apostle of God,, and if ye go again beyond that, then employ yourselves in the interpretation of the meanings o£ the traditions." (Al Hajjaj-b-A'nbasah.) lyas-b-Mu'awiyah-b-Kurrah. says, " I liken Omar to none but an

excellent workman who has no tools with which to work—that is, he has

none to help. him." And Omar-b-Hafs narrates, " Omar said to me, ' when thou hearest a word from a Muslim, do not impute to it aught of evil as " long as thou canst find for it a good motive.' Omar used to dissuade Sulayman-b-A'bdi'l Malik from putting the ^aruriyah sectariansf to death and he would, say to him, " imprison them until they show repentance." And a Hariiri was brought before Sulay- man who said to him, "well now !" The Hariiri replied, " what shall I say, O villain, son of a villain ?" Sulayman exclaimed—" send for Omar- A'bdi'l A'ziz ;" and when he came, he said, " listen to the speech of this man," and the Haruri repeated it, find Sulayman said,. " what dost thou think should he done to him ?" but he was silent. He said again " I command thee to tell me what thou thinkest regarding him." He answered,

* Her name was Fatimah; slie resided at the village of Mizzah near Damascus after the death of her father, the -well known Mawla of the prophet who was despatched at the head of an army to Syria at the time the prophet was dying. (See page 1i) Usamah- died at Medina, and some say at Wadi'l Kur4 about A. H. S4.

t A sect erf schismatics called after Harura, a town two miles distant from Kufah tecause they first assembled there and taught that government belongs only to God. They consisted of Nejdeh and his Companions holding their tenets. They were also called Mubayyadhah because their ensigns in war were white. They dived so deeply, says Lane, into matters of religion that they became heretics—and hence the appella-

tion is applied also to any who do thus. Lane, art. j^ [ 244 ]

A. H. 99. " I think with regard to him that thou shouldst revile him as he hath reviled A. D. 717. thee." He replied, " the matter ends not thus," and he commanded regarding him, and his head was struck off, and Omar departed. But Khalid the captain of the guard, overtook him, and said, " Omar, how couldst thou — for that say to the prince of the Faithful ' I do not see anything him but thou shouldst revile him as he hath reviled thee ? verily I was expecting that he would command me to strike off thy head." He replied, " and if he had commanded thee, wouldst thou have done it ?" He answered, " yea, by Allah." Now when the Caliphate fell to Omar, Khalid came and stood up in the place of the captain of the guard and Omar said, " O Khalid put this sword from thee" and he added, " O God, verily I have humbled Khalid for thy sake, therefore raise him up never again." Then he looked upon the faces of the guard, and summoned A'mr-b-Muhajir the Auxiliary and said, " O A'mr, verUy thou knowest that there is no kinship between me and thee save the kinship of Islam, but I have heard thee diligently reading the Kuran, and I have seen thee praying in a place when thou didst think that none observed thee, and I saw thee pray with devotion and thou art one of the Auxiliaries—take this sword therefore, for verily I give thee the command of my guard." (Yahya al Ghassdni.) Shu'ayb says, " I have been told that A'bdu'l Malik-b-Omar-b A'bdi'l A'ziz went in to his father and said, " O prince of the Faithful what wilt thou say unto thy Lord hereafter when he questioneth thee ?" and added, " thou hast witnessed heresies and hast not crushed them, and laws fallen into disuse and thou hast not revived them." And his father answered, " may the Lord have mercy upon thee and reward thee for a good son—my child, verily thy tribe have bound this authority knot by knot and loop by loop, and were I to seek to oppose them by taking away what they possessed, .1 would not be safe from their making a rupture with me in which much blood would be shed—by Allah, the loss of worldly goods would be easier unto me than that a cupping-glass of blood should be spilt on my account, yet art thou not content that a single day in the world should come to thy father, except he crush a heresy therein and revive a law." Omar said, " he is happy who is preserved from disputation, anger and

covetousness " (Ma'mar.) It was said to Omar, " if thou wert to appoint a bodyguard and to be careful in thy food and drink."* He replied, " God if thou knowest that I fear aught except the day of resurrection believe not in my fear." (Artah-b-Mundir.) 'Adi-b-u'l Fadhl narrates, " I heard

' Omar preaching to the people, and he said, fear ye God, O people ! and proceed with moderation in your quest of worldly goods, for if the destined portion of any one be upon the summit of a mountain or in the depths of

* Such aentenoea where the apodosjs is wanting to complete the period are common enough in the Semitic languages and may be found frequently in the Bible, «. g. Gen. Hi. ii. [ 245 ] the earth, it will reach him.' " And Azhar says, " I saw Omar preaching to A. H 99. the people wearing a patched garment." And Abdu'Uah-b-u'l A'la, " I A. D. 7l7. heard Omar preaching on a Friday a single discourse— which he kept repeating and beginning it with these seven sentences ' Praise he to God, we glorify Him and implore His help and His pardon, and we fly to God for protection

against the wickedness of our passions and the evil of our deeds ; whom

God directeth, none can misguide, and there is no guide for him whom God alloweth to go astray—and I testify that there is no god but one God who hath no copartner—and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His

apostle ; —he who obeyeth God and His apostle, verily he foUoweth the right path—and whoso rebelleth against God and His apostle, verily goeth astray.". Then he commended unto them the fear of God and continued to preach, and he concluded his final discourse with these verses " my

servants who have transgressed" (Kur. XXXIX) to the conclusion of the ' section. Hajib-b-Khalifah al Biirjumi says, " I was present when Omar being then Caliph, was preaching, and he said in his discourse, ' verily that which the apostle of God and his two companions have instituted, is the faith which we conform to and follow out and that which others besides .those two have established we may put aside.' " (Abu Nuaym gives with their ascriptions in his Huliyah all that I have advanced.) Ibn 'Asakir records on the authority Ibrahim-b-Abi A'ylah that he said, " we went in to Omar on the day of the festival,* and the people were greeting him, and saying, " the Lord be propitious unto us and unto thee P prince of the Faithful," and he returned it to them and did not dis- approve their conduct. I remark that this is an excellent precedent for a congratulatory salutation for the day of the festival, and for the year and for the month. He records also from Ju'linah, that Omar gave A'mr- b-Kays as Sakiini the command of an expedition against the Greeks and said, " receive graciously those among them that do good and forgive those of "them that do evil—and be not the foremost among them, lest thou be slain, nor yet the hindermost lest thou appear cowardly, but be in the middle so that thy place may be seen and thy voice heard." And from Saib-b-Muhammad, that A'bdu'l Jarrah-b-A'bdi'Uah wrote to Omar, saying,

" verily the people of Khurasan are a race whose community is unruly and verily nothing will mend them but the sword and the scourge, therefore if the prince of the Faithful see fit to permit their use to me ?" And Omar wrote, " now, verily thy letter hath reached me, saying, that the people! of Khurasan are a community that are unruly, and that nothing will mend them but the sword and the scourge, but in truth thou hast

* By the term Eed is meant one of the two principal religious festivals of the Muslims. Eed u'l Adha (festivals of the victims) held on the 10th of Du'l Hijjah or the Eed ul Eitr the festival of the breaking of the fast after the Bamadhan. [ 246 ]

A. H. 99. spoken falsely for justice will mend them and truth—therefore spread A. D. 717. these amongst them and peace he to thee." And from TJmayyah-b-Zayd, of the Kurayshr that he said, " when Omar dictated his correspondence to

me, he would say, ' God I fly to thee for protection from the evil of my tongue.' " And from Salih-b>- Jubayr that he said, " I have often times discoursed— with Omar on a subject and he would get wroth and I would say ' it is written in a book,—fear the wrath of a youthful king and be-

gentle with him until his anger departeth ;' and he would say to m&

afterwards, ' let not what thou seest in me, O Salih, hinder thee from " recurring to the subject with me when thou seest it Jit.'' And from A'bdu'l Hakim-b-Muhamraad al Makhzlimi that Jarir-b-u'l Khatafi went before Omar and was about to recite poetry when Omar checked him, but he said " indeed I am about to make mention of the Apostle of God." Omar replied—" well if it be the Apostle of God, then mention him"—and Jarlr went on.

Verily He who sent the prophet Muhammad Hath conferred the Caliphate on a just prince, Who hath restored extortions with exactness to their just owners Prom their unrighteousness, and made straight the errii^ of the- deviator. Verily I seek of thee a present bounty For the heart clings to the love of the present.

Omar said to him " I find nothing due to you in the book of God," He replied, " yes, prince of the Faithful—verily I am a wayfarer." He therefore ordered him fifty dinars from his privy purse.

It is recorded in the Tuyyuriyat that Hariz-b-Othman a'r Eahbi went in with his father to Omar who asked the latter regarding his son, and) then said, "teach him the great science." He answered, " and what is th& great science ?" Omar replied, " contentment, and abstaining fromi molest- ing others'' Ibn Abi Hatim records from Muhammad-b-Kaa'b al Karadhi

that he narrates, " Omar, summoned me and said, ' define justice to me.' I said, ' well, thou askest regarding a momentous thing—be to the little ones among men as their father—to the great as their son—to your equals among them as a brother and the same towards women, and punish men according to the degree of their faults and the measure of their bodily endiwance, and strike not, be sure, a single blow of a scourge in anger " lest thou exceed justice and be of those who oppress.' Abdu'r Eazzdk records in his Musannaf from az Zuhri that Omar used to make his ablutions after eating anything that had touched the

fire, so that he would make his ablutions after eating sugar. And from Wuhayb that Omar said, " he who considers his words as a part of his actions will be sparing of his conversation." !

[ 247 1<

Ad Dahabi says that Ghaylan* professed a denial of predestination A. H. 99. during the Caliphate of Omar, who sought to make him abjure, wherefore A. D. 717. he said, " verily I was in error but thou hast directed me aright." Omar exclaimed, " God—if he be sincere, forgive him, otherwise crucify him and cut off his hands and feet." And his prayer concerning him took effect, for he was seized in the Caliphate of Hisham-b-A'bdi'l Malik and his limbs were cut off and he was crucified at Damascus for the denial of predestination. Some other author says that the Banu TJmayyah used to vilify A'li-b-Abi Talib in the Khutbah, and when Omar ruled, he abolished

this and wrote to his prefects to discontinue it, and he read in its place " verily God commandeth justice and the doing of good." (Kur. XVI) and the rest of the verse, and the reading of this has continued to this day. Al Kali says in his Dictations on the authority of Ahmad-b-Ubayd that Omar before his Caliphate versified. " Eestrain thy heart from love And from subservience to passion, For by the life of thy Lord, verily in The greyness of thy head and its baldness Is an admonisher if thou canst

Take warning as he is admonished who is wise. Till how long wilt thou not forbear ?

Till how long and how long ! After thou hast been called of mature age Dost thou still snatch at the name of youth Youth is worn out and thou If thou live, will be a hostage to calamity. That sufficeth as an admonisher To a man from wandering astray."

At Tha'alabi says in the Lataif u'l Ma'arif (Curiosities of Knowledge) that Omar-b-u'l Khattab, Othman, A'li, Marwan-b-u'l Hakam and Omar- b-A'bdi'l A'ziz were bald, and after that, baldness ceased to he seen among the Caliphs. Az Zubayr-b-Bakkdr says that a poet said of Patimah daughter of A'bdu'l Malik-b-Marwan and wife of Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz. Daughter of a Caliph—a Caliph her grandsire. Sister of Caliphs and her husband a Caliph."

Ghayl4n of Damascus according to Sale, (p. 112) together with Mabad al Juhni and Jonas al Aswari, broached heterodox opinions concerning predestination shortly after the rise of the first heresy in Isl&m, that of the Kharijites under the Cali- phate of A'li. Their opinions were followed by Wasil-b-A'ta the founder of the Mu'atazalitea. —

[ 248 1

A H. 99. He continues " no other woman but herself can claim in her behalf this A, D. 717. verse up to my time," and I add up to mine.

His siclcness and death.

Ayah states that it was said to Omar A'bdu'l A'ziz, " if thou wert to go to Medina and w^rt to die there, thou wouldst be buried in the place of the fourth grave with the Apostle of God." He replied, " by Allah, that the Lord should chastise me with every torture save hell-fire, would be preferable to me than that the Lord should conceive that I deemed myself worthy of that place." WaKd-b-Hisham says that it was said to Omar in his sickness, " wilt thou not get thyself a remedy ?" He answered " verily I knew the moment in which I was given to drink poison, and if my cure were but to touch the lobe of my ear or were I brought a per- fume which I had only to raise to my nose, I would not do it." U'bayd-

b- Hasan narrates that when Omar was on the point of death, he said io those present—" depart from me," and Maslamah and Fatimah sat down by the door and they heard him saying, " welcome these faces that are not the faces of men or genii." Then he said, " as to this future mansion

of paradise,'' (Kur. XXVIII) and the rest of the verse : then the sound grew faint, and they went in and found him dead. Hisham says that when the news of Omar's death went abroad, Hasan al Basri said, " the best of

men is dead :" and Khalid ar Ribi'i, " I find in the Pentateuch that the heavens and the earth shall weep over Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz for forty mornings." Yusuf-b-Mdhak says, '' while we were levelling the earth- over

the grave of Omar, lo ! there fell upon us a scroll of parchment from the

sky in which was written, ' In the name of God the most Merciful, the Compassionate. Immunity from God for Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz from hell- " fire.' Ka'tadah narrates that Omar wrote to the heir who was to succeed him, " In the name of God the most Merciful the Compassionate." From Omar-b-Abdi'l Aziz, to Tazid-b-A'bdi'l Mallik. " Peace be to thee ! Verily I glorify God unto thee, besides whom there is no other God. And now, verily, I write to thee, being nigh unto death through my sickness, and insooth I know that I shall be questioned regarding the things that I have governed, the King of this world and the

next taking account, of me concerning it, and I am unable to hide from him a tittle of my deeds. If therefore He be content with me verily I

shall be happy and shall escape from enduring contempt, but if He be displeased with me, then woe unto me for that which 1 shall become. I ask of God, of Hiin besides whom there is no other God, to save me — —

[ S49 ]

through His mercy from hell-fire and to vouchsafe unto me His approba- A . H. 99.

tion and Paradise. Let the fear of God be upon thee—and the people— A. J). 717. the people be thy care, for verily thou will remain after me but a little while." (Abu Nua'ym has given all this with their ascriptions in the Huliyah). Omar died at Dayr-Sima'an, in the district about Emessa* on the 20th or as some say the 25th of Eajab of the year 101 (5th or 10th February 720), he being at that time thirty-nine years and six months old. His death was caused by poison. The Bahu Ummayyah hated him on account of his severity to them and his confiscating from them much that they bad plundered. He neglected to take precautions and they gave him poison to

drink. Mujahid narrates, " Omar said to me, ' what do people say about me ?' I replied ' they say thou art disordered in mind' He replied,

' I am not disorderd in mind : verily, I knew the moment in which they gave me poMOW to drink.' Then be summoned one of his slaves and said

— ?' ' alas ! for thee—what brought thee to give me poison to drink He replied, ' one thousand dinars that I was given and the promise that I should be liberated.' Omar said, 'bring them here.' Mujahid adds that he brought

them and Omar put them into the public treasury and said to him, ' go that " no one may see thee. ' Among people of note who died in Omar's reign were, Abu Imamah- b-Sahl-b-Hunayf, Kharijah-b-Zayd-b-Thabit, Salim-b-Abi'l Jaa'd, Busr-b- Sa'id,t Abu Othman an Nahdi, and Abu's Saha.

XAZrD-B-A'BDI'L MALIK.

Yazid-b-A'bdi'l Malik-b-i'l Hakam, Abu Khalid, of the house of TJmay- yah, a native of Damascus, was born in the year 71 and ruled the Caliphate in succession to Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz, according to the covenant of his brother Sulayman, as hath gone before. A'bdur Eahman-b-Zayd-b-Aslam says that when Yazid ruled he said to the people " take as your rule of life, the conduct of Omar-b-A'bdi'l A'ziz ;" and there were brought to him forty Shaykhs and they testified to him, saying—" for the Caliphs there is neither a day o/' reckoning nor punishment."

* Yakdt says Damascus : it is probably somewhere between those two towns. Another of the same name was in Mount Lebanon and a third near Antiooh. Sima' an is Simon, and Yakut says that the convent was named, it is supposed, after Simon Peter, " one of the great doctors of the Christians !" t Ibn u'l Athir, says Busr-b-Saa'd. The name Abu's SaJba is probably wrong I have never met a name of the kind and, it is not mentioned in the Kamil. Abu Sali]^ Zakwan died in the time of Omar and also Abu Salih Saman. 32 ) •

[ 250 ]

A- H. 101. When Omar died, Yazid exclaimed, " by AUaL, Omar was not more A. D. 720. in need of the Lord than I,"—and for forty days he continued to follow the example of Omar, and then abandoned it. (Ibn u'l Majishiin). When Omar was on the point of death, he wrote to Tazid-b-A'bdi'l Malifc " saying, peace be to thee ! now, verily I do not see myself other than what I am—I commend to thee in God's name the people of Muhammad— for verily thou wilt leave the world to one who wiU not praise thee, and wilt go unto One who wUl not hold thee excused—and peace he to thee !" (Sulaym -b-Bashir. In the year 102 Yazid-b-u'l MuhaUab rebelled against the Caliphate, and Muslamah-b-A'bdi'l Malik-b-Marwan was despatched against him, and Yazid was defeated and slain, and that at A'kr* a place near Karbala. Al Kalbi says, " I was a youth when people used to say that the Banu Umayyah slaughtered religion on the day of Karbala and clemeneyf on the day of A'kr. Yazid died towards the endj of Shaa'bin in the year 105 (28th January 724). Of people of note who died during his reign were, ad Dhahhak-b- Muzahim, A'di-b-Artah, Abu'l Mutawakkil an Naji, A'ta-b-Yasdr, Mujahid, Yahya-b-Wathab the Kmin reader of Kufah, Khalid-b-Maa'dan as Shaa'bi

the scholar of Irak, A'bdur Eahman-b-Hassan-b-Thabit, Abu Kilabah al Jarmi, Abii Burdah-b-Abi Miisa al Asha'ri, and others.

HISHA'M-B-A'BDI'L MALIK.

Hisham-b-A'bdi'l Malik, Abu'l Walid was born after the year 70§ and succeeded to the Caliphate according to the covenant of his brother Yazid. Musaa'b az Zubayri says that A'bdu'l Malik had a dream regarding which he questioned Sa'id-b-u'l Musayyab, who interpreted it to mean that four of the issue of his loins would bear sway. Hisham was the last of these. He was discreet and wise. He would never allow any money to enter his treasury until forty people had testified upon oath that it had

* The printed edition has A'kir which ia inooireot. By the Caliph's orders + 300 Irdlian prisoners were put to death at K6fah. This inhumanity was not however confined to one side, for Mu'Awiyah, Yarid's son, according to Weil, on leaving Wdsit slaughtered 32 of the prisoners he had taken. Among them A'di-h-Artah and his son. See Weil, Gesoh, CaHph, and Ibn Khali, who has a long article on Ya^id-h-Muhallah. The family of MuhaUab were as celebrated under the Umayyads for generosity as the Barmekides under the house of A'bbds: t On the 26th according to Ibn u'l Athir. § In the year 72 according to Ibn u'l Athir. { 251 ]

been rightfully exacted, and that to every just claimant had been given A. H. 105. his due. A. D. 724. A man once addressed Hishdm abusively, and he said to him, " O such a one, it doth not befit thee to revile thy Caliph." And once he was wroth with a man and said^—" by Allah, verily I intended to scourge thee !" (Al Asma'i.) Sahbal-b-Muhammad says, " I never saw one of the Caliphs to

whom tlie shedding of blood. was more hateful and upon whom it was more

grievous, than Hisbam." It is recorded on Hisham's authority that he said,

" there is not one remaining of the pleasures of the world, but I have enjoyed

it, save one—a friend regarding whom I can dispense with the trouble of being vigilant concerning what is between me and him." When Hisham built ar Eusafah* near Kinnisrin, he desired to retire there for one day during which no care should approach him, but the day •Was not half spent when there floated towards him a feather covered with blood from some part of the frontier and was borne to him, and he exclaimed, " not a single day !"

' It is said that the following line is his and no other of his is recorded. " If thou dost not rebel against concupiscence, it will lead thee To what will occasion evil speaking against thee. He died in Eabii't u'l Akhir of the year 125. (6th February 743). In the year 107 of his reign ^aysariyah in Asia MinorJ was taken by the sword. In the year 108 Khanjarah§ was taken by al Battal the famous hero. In the year 112 Kharshanah|| near Malatiyah was captured. Of persons of note who died in the reign of Hisham, were, Salim-b- A'bdi'llah>b-Om:ar, Talis, Salayman-b-Yasar, I'kramah Mawla of Ibn

* Atoiit four parasangs west of Eakkah towards the desert. He built it when the plague desolated Syria and used to reside in it during the summer. One of Yakfit's authorities (Ibn Butlan) asserts it to have been originally a fort built of stone Sn which was a large Christian Church built by Constantine the son of Helena. iBeneath the Church was a ciatem on marble piUais paved with marble and full of rain water. The people living in its neighbourhood were mostly Bedouin Christians. The ;word ]8asaf«.h *i/«j signifies a dam oonstruoted for the purpose of obstructing or retaining water—hence the place was so called after the cistern in the fort, no other water nearer than the river Euphrates being procurable. t On the 6th according to WeU. AjjI-^' % Yakut spells this word and not *-iy'>^ as in the text. both have § The printed edition and MS. Hanjarah. Yakut does not give it, but tiames Khanjarah as a portion of the Grecian territory. Abdullah al -Battal was one of the Generals of Mu'awiyaii-b-Hisham who commanded the troops in Asia Minor. In 739-al Battal was defeated in one of his expeditions and slain. See Weil, p. 638, 122. Vol. 1, and Ibn ul Athir for the year A. H. Haraanah in the printed edition and MS, but Ibn u'l Athir and Yailfiit make it II Kharshanah. [ 252 ]

A. H. 125. A'bbas, al Kdsim-b-Muhammad-b-Abi Bakr i's Siddik, Kuthay tbe poet A. D. 743. lover of A'zza, Muhammad-b-Kasl-al Karadbi,* al Hasan al Basri, Muham- mad-b-Sirin, Abu't T'ufayl A'amir-b-Wathilah the last of the Companions,

Jarir, Tarazdak, A'tiyah al A'tifi, Mu'awiyah-b-Kurrah, Makhul, A'ta-b- Abi Eabah, Abu Jaa'far al Bakir, Wahab-b-Munabbih, Sukaynah daughter of al Husayn, al A'a'raj, KatMah, Nafi Mawla-b-Omar, Ibn A'amir the Kuran reader of Syria, Ibn Kathir Kuran reader of Mecca, Tbabit al Bunani, Malik-b-Dinar, Ibn Muhayyasahf the Kuran reader, Ibn Shihab az Zuhri, and others. Among the narratives concerning Hisham, Ibn Asakir records on the authority of Ibrahim-b-Abi A'ylah that he said, " Hisham desired to place me over the finances of Egypt, but I declined and he grew wroth so that his countenance was agitated and there was a fierceness in his eye, and h© cast upon me a forbidding look and said, ' thou shalt assuredly take charge willingly or againsb thy will;' but I restrained myself from speaking

till his anger had calmed down, and I said, ' prince of the Faithful, may I speak ?' He replied, ' yes.' I said, ' verily God hath spoken in His glorious Book, " we proposed the faith unto the heavens and the earth and the mountains and they refused to undertake the same &c." (Kur XXXIII now, by AUah, O prince of the Faithful, He was not wroth with them when they were loth, and I do not deserve that thou shouldst be angered against me because I refused, or that thou shouldst force me when I am unwilling'—and he laughed and forgave me." And from Khalid-b-SafwanJ

" ' that he said, I visited Hisham and he said, say, what is it ? O son of Safwan,'—I began—one of the kings set forth on a pleasure excursion to al Khaurnak,§ and he was a man of wisdom—as well as of wealth and power, and he looked round and said to his, courtiers ' xmto, whom doth this belong' ? and

* Ibn u'l Athir writes this name Kurti (j^j*' but Ibn Khali confirms the reading .tjJ of tbe text ; al ^aradhi signifies a dealer in Karadh. the leaf of the salam tree used

in tanning. See Ibn Kball, De, S. Vol. 3, p. 373.

t KTot Muhayyasan as in the text. See Ibn u'l Athir for the spellings of this name, under the year 113 A. H.

X His father was the chief of tbe Banu Tamim and a great orator. Khilid was equally distinguished in his oratory and his avarice and his frequent divorces. No night, he used to say, was so pleasant as tbe one wherein he had dismissed his wives. Ibn Kutaybah K. M.

§ This was an Nua'm4n-b-Imr u'l Kays-b-A'di descended from KahtSn—tha palace of Khaumak built by him was near Kufah. It was designed by a Greek called Sinimm&r and finished in sixty years. The architect was thrown from its summit by order of Nua'mAn for boasting that by the removal of a secret part of the masonry the building would faU. The story in the text is given much the same in Yakut. ! ——

[ 253 ]

— ' A. H. 125. tbey said ' unto the ting.' He exclaimed, have ye seen any who hath been favoured as I have been favoured ?' " Now there was with him one of the most A. D. 743. excellent of those versed in lore and he said, " verily thou hast enquired regarding a certain matter—dost thou give rne leave to reply ?" The king answered, " yes." He said,—" hast thou regarded the condition in which thou art ? is it a thing in which thou wilt continue or rather a thing which hjith come to thee by inheritance, and which shall pass from thee to another

as it hath come to thee ?" He answered—" such is the case." He continued, " dost thou then pride thyself on a trifling thing which thou dost possess but for a short time and from which thou must sever for a time that will endure, and of which account will be demanded of thee ?" The king exclaimed, "alas! then—where is there a refuge and where a haven of retreat ?" and a cold shudder seized him. The other said, " either thou must continue in thy sovereignty and act in obedience to God in regard to what displeaseth or gratifieth thee, or thou must relinquish thy kingdom and lay down thy crown and cast from thee thy worn garments and Worship thy Lord." He answered, " I will reflect to-night and will go. to thee in the morning." And when it was morning, he knocked at his door and said, " I have chosen this mountain and these solitudes and have put on my garments of sackcloth, and if thou wilt be my companion do not deny me." And they dwelt upon the mountain until they died

A'di-b-Zayd-b-Hammad* says on this subject t " O thou who rejoieest at other's afiliction and scoffest

At fortune ! art thou exempt and perfect ?

Or hast thou a firm covenant with time ?

Nay ! thou art an arrogant fool

Whom hast thou seen whom Death hath suffered to endure ?

Or who hath over him a defender to save him from being wronged ? Where is Khu§rau—king of kings—father of Sasan, and where Sabur before him ? And the fairf illustrious race, monarchs Of Eiim ? no mention of them remains.

And the Lord of Hadhr J when he founded it and when

* Not al Himar as in tte text. He was a poet of the time of Ignorance. He and his family professed tlie Christian religion. For his life consult Kitab u'l Aghani. Tom. II. p. 18, and the Journal Asiatique for Novemher '38. t Called also Banu'l A'sfar from A'sfar, son of Rum, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. See Lane, for other derivations of this word. X Between Mosul and Tabrit. The name of a certain king Satirun is connected with this city's early history—it was huilt of cut stone and was of great magnificence which is still attested, according to Yakut, by the remnants of its ruined walls. It afterwards fell into the possession of a chief called Dhayzan and being built under —

t 254 ]

The Tigris anil the Khablir went back towards it He built it strongly of marble and covered it with oement, And now birds have 'their nests in its pinnacles. Death hath not respected him and perished Hath his kingdom, and his gate is deserted. And remember the Lord of Khaurnak the day

That he gazed from an eminence and be the memory a guide to thee ! His wealth gladdened him and the plenty That he possessed—and the river lay before him and Sadir.* And his heart repented and he said, What is the happiness of a creature that is about to die ? And after prosperity and empire and dominion The graves have concealed them there, And they become like unto a withered leaf That the .east and west winds whirl away."

The narrator continues, " and Hisham wept until his beard was wet, and he commanded his two daugbters to take up his couch and he secluded himselft in his palace. And his servants and his retinue went to Khalid- b-Safwan and said, ' what hast thou desired with the prince of the Faith- ful ? thou hast ruined his happiness.' He replied, ' begone from me— I have verily made a covenant with God, that I would never be alone with " a king, but I would remind him of the Most High.'

AL WALrD-B-TAZrD-B-A'BDI'L MALIK.

Al Walid-b-Yazid-b-A'bdi;i Malik-b-Marwan-b-i'l Hakam,—the profligate Caliph, Abu'l A'bbas was born in the year 90. When his father was on the point of death, he was unable to appoint him successor as he was but a child ; he therefore covenanted for his brother Hishim, and named him heir after Hisham. He assumed the government on the death of Hisham in Eabii' u'l Akhir in the year 125. He was a libertine and a wine-drinker land a breaker of the divine commands. He vri^hed to make talismanio influence, it could not be taken save by the breaking of the spell. For the atory consult Ya^lit. The heroine was the daughter of Dhazan, who had been so delicately nuituted that a crumpled myrtle leaf disturbed her sleep. Ibn Khali says that Satirun and Dhazau were the same person. See under " art" Muljammad-b-J4bir. * A river near Hirah—also a palace built near Khaurnak by Nu'aman the Great for a Persian king—consult Yakdt. ,"' <^ t For (•>' read fy I believe the text here to be corrupt. The MS. has J^\ [ 255 ] the pilgrimage in order that he might drink upon the summit of the Kaa'bah. A. H. 126.

The people abhorred him for his profligacy, and rose up against him and A. D. 74i4i. he was slain on (27th) Jumada'l Akhirah of the year 126. (16th April 744). It is recorded on his authority that when he was besieged he said to the people, " have not I increased your largesses ? Have not I removed your grievances ? Have not I given unto the poor among ye ?" They replied, " we do not reproach thee for ourselves, but we find fault with thee for thy transgressions against the prohibitions of God, and the drinking of wine and marriage with the concubines of thy father who have borne children to him, and thy contempt for the commands of the Lord." And when he was slain and his head was cut off and taken to Tazid an Nakis,

he placed it on a spear, and his brother Sulayman-b-Tazid looking upon it said—" away with it—I testify that he was a wine-drinker, licentious and profligate and he sought to seduce me into immorality." Al Mu'afa al Jariri* says, " I have collected some particulars regarding the life of al Walid and his verses which contain the wickedness he committed through his folly and weakness of mind and the heresies he openly expressed regarding the Kuran, and impiety towards God." Ad Pahabi observes that the impiety and atheism of al WaM are not clearly established, but he was notorious for drinking and profligacy, and for that reason they rebelled against him. Mention of al Walid was once made in the presence of al Mahdi and a man said that he was an atheist, and al Mahdi replied, "go to, the

Vicegerency of God in his charge is too sublime an office that He should have given it to an atheist." Al Walid was one of the most comely of men as well as one of the most violent and he was among the most polished of poets. Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah az Zuhri was always reviling al Walid

and finding fault with him to Hisham, and saying, " it is not lawful for thee to do other than put him aside,'' but Hisham was not able to do so,

and if az Zuhri had lived until al Walid reigned, the latter would have put him to death. (Abu'z ZinM.) Hisham desired to put aside al Walid and bestow the succession ijpon his son, but al Walfd said, Thou hast been ungrateful for the favours of thy benefactor—wert thou but thankful The most Merciful would requite thee with favour and bounty. I have seen that thou hast planned industriously to set me aside,

* Prohably Abu Ma'sAd al Mu'afa-b-Imr4n, a native of Mosul of the tribe of Azd, who studied jurisprudence under Sufyan at Thauri. He was remarkable for his learning and piety, died A. H. 184. I. K. De Slane. : ! —

[ 256 ]

A. H. 126. If thou wert wise, thou wouldst annul what thou has designed. A. D. 744. I behold thee working enmity upon those that remain, Happy for them wert thou to die from the evil thou workest I am as one among them to-day, while their frequent exclamation is O would that we had been in happier circumstances* or that thou hadst never lived,

(ad Dhakhak-b-Othmdn). Hammad ar Eawiyah narrates, " I was one day with al Walid and two astrologers came in to him and said, ' we have looked into what thou hast commanded us, and we have found that thou wilt reign for seven years. I was desirous,' continues Hammad, 'to deceive him so I said falsely—"I too am learned in signs and the systems of knowledge, and verily I have looked into this and have found that thou wilt reign forty

years." And he looked down in thought and then said, ' what they have declared will not afflict nor what thou hast said, make me over-confident. By AUah, I will assuredly gather in the revenue lawfully like unto the gathering of him who was to live forever, and I will surely disburse it

according to its just claims, as he would disburse it who was to die to- morrow.' " In the Musnad of Ahmad verily there hath come down a tradition " there shall be over this people, a man called al Walid ; he will assuredly be more hard upon this people than Pharaoh upon his subjects." Ibn Fadhli'Uah says in the Masalik (Ways).t " Al Walid was an inexorable tyrant, a title that does not wrong him—a path which he trod, but which did not guide him aright—^the Pharaoh of this transitory age of this world filled with calamities. He wUl come at the day of resurrection at the head of his tribe, bringing them into hell-fire and delivering them over to shame. Miserable the station where they alight—and hateful their place of return on that plain of assemblage. He hath shot arrows at the holy Book, and hath been licentious and hath not fearedj sins." As Slili records on the authority of Sa'id-b-Salim that Ibn Miyadah repeated to al Walid the verse of his in which he says " Tou have surpassed the Kuraysh, save the family of Muhammad Save the Banu Marwdn, the eminent.

* I read -vritli the MS- ,J^. Of the word uir^ in the printed edition, I can make no sense. t jIaioDI iJ^jl/ojUit ^^J^S\ t-iJU*. Yj(g oculorum de historia prinoi- pum magnarum urhiuta— in twenty folios by Shihib-uddin Ahmad-b-Yahya-b- Muhammafl, al Kirmami, a'd Dimish^i, as Shafl'i known as Ibn Fadhli'llah, died 749 (1848). A supplement to this work— was written by the author's son. Haj. lihal. X It may be also translated " hath not concealed his sinn" —according as the verb may be taken from the root vjj^ or (j^ —!

[ 357 ]

Al Walid said to him, " I see that thou hast put before us the family A. H. 12ft of Muhammad." He replied, " I do not think it is lawful to do otherwise." A. D. 7414,

And this Ibn Miyadah is he who says of al Walid also in his long poem.

" I purposed to say a true speech.

And verily I shall say it in spite of enemies. I have seen al Walid the son Yazid blessed. His shoulders strong under the burdens of the Caliphate."

YAZrC-AN-NAKIS-B-U'L WALI'D.

Yazid the Eetrencher, Abii Khalid-b-u'l Walid-b-Abdi'l Malik was surnamed the Eetrencher because he cut down the allowances to the troops. He usurped the Caliphate and slew his nephew al Walid and took possession of the government. His mother was Shahfarand daughter of Firiiz son of Yazdajird, and the mother of Firlz was daughter of Shiruyah son of Khusrau, and the mother of Shiruyah was daughter of Khakan the Turkish chief and the grandmother of Firdz was the daughter of the

Eoman Emperor—for this reason Yazid says boastingly : " I am the son of Khusrau, my ancestor was Marwan " Csesar was my grandsire and my grandsire was Khakan.

At Tha'alabi says that he was the most noble in descent on both sides as well in regard to the monarchy as the Caliphate, and when he had put al Walid to death he stood up to preach and said, " now verily, by Allah,

I have not rebelled out -of insolence or ingratitude, nor seeking after worldly advantage, nor aiming at sovereignty and verily I have been but an oppressor unto my own soul if the Lord have not mercy upon me—but I came forward out of zeal for God and His religion as a summoner to His Book and the laws of his prophet, at a time when the banners of right guidance were defaced, the light of piety extinguished and a tyrant appeared making lawful, things that are forbidden and indulging in heretical innovations.* And when I beheld that, I feared that a darkness had come over ye which would not be removed for the multitude of your transgressions and the hardness of your hearts,—and I feared lest he should seduce many of the people to follow his course, and that they would consent, wherefore I asked of the Lord a blessing upon my purpose, and I summoned those of my family and under my authority who obeyed my call, and the Lord freed the people and the cities from him by the jurisdiction that is from God and there is no power or strength but from God. ye people

* He himself was a Mua'tazalite. See Masa'udi. 33 [ 258 ]

A. H. 126. verily I promise ye, if I rule your afEairs, that I shall not lay a brick upon A. D. 744. a brick, nor a stone upon a stone, nor carry away revenue from any city until I have fortified its frontier and expended for its welfare what will sufiice to make ye secure, and if any balance should remain, I will transfer it to the

city that is next to it, in order that the means of subsistence may be duly provided for, and that you may all be on an equality therein. If therefore ye desire to swear allegiance to me on the conditions I have proposed, I am yours, and if I deviate ^o»8 my word, allegiance to me will not be binding upon ye. And if ye see any one more capable than I am for this authority, and ye desire to make a covenant with him then I will be the first to swear him allegiance and ask pardon of God for myself and for ye."* Othman-b-Abi'l A'atikah says that the first Caliph who came forth

armed on the two festivals was Yazld-b-u'l Walid : he came forth then between two ranks of armed horsemen from the gate of the fort to the place of prayer. And on the authority of Abu Othman al Laythi, that Yazid said, " O children of Umayyah, beware of singing, for it lessens shame, increases concupiscence and destroys manliness and indeed it takes the place of wine and doth that which intoxicating liquor effects, but if needs be that ye do it, then restrain your women therefrom, for song is an incentive to in- continence." Ibn A'bdi'l Hakam narrates, " I have heard as Shafi'i say that when Yazid assumed the government, he summoned the people to deny pre-

destination and seduced them to it and honoured the followers of Ghaylan. Yazid did not long enjoy the Caliphate but died in the same year on the

7th of D'u'l Hijjah :t thus his Caliphate lasted not quite six months, he being thirty-five years old, some say forty-six. It is said he died of the plague."

IBRAHtM-B-U'L WALfD-B-A'BDI'L MALIK.

Ibrahim-b-u'l Walid-b-A'bdi'l Malik was acknowledged Caliph after the death of his brother Yazid an Naki? who as some say made a testament in his favor, while others assert that he did not. Burd-b-Sinan narrates, " I was with Yazid-b-u'l Walid when he was on the point of death, and

KatanJ came to him and said, ' I am a messenger from those who are

• This disconree is translated ly Weil from Tabari and it is given by Ibn u'l Atbir. Tbey differ slightly, but much less so from each other than either of them from the text of as Suyliti. t According to Weil the end of that month. J Perhaps ^atan-b-Mudrik al ]K.iUbi governor of Ba^ah. —

[ 259 ]

behind thy gate asking of thee in the name of God's justice why thou hast A. H. 126. appointed over their affairs thy brother Ibrahim.' But he grew wroth A. D. 744. and said ' I appoint Ibrahim ?'—then he said to me '0 father of the learned, whom dost thou think that I should appoint ?' I replied, ' I shall not counsel thee regarding the conclusion of what I warned thee against entering upon.' Then a faintness came over him so that I thought that he was dead. Then Ka^an sat down and forged a testamentary document as if from the dictation of Yazid and summoned some people and asked them to bear witness to it—but no, by Allah, Yazid made no testament at aU." Ibrahim continued in the Caliphate seventy days* and was then deposed, for Marwan-b-Muhammad set forth against him and received the

covenant of allegiance and Ibrahim fled. Afterwards he came and abdicat.

ed the government and resigned it to Marwan and voluntarily swore him.

allegiance and Ibrahim lived after that till the year 132 and he was killed among those of the Banu Ummayyah who were slain in the massacre perpetrated by as Saffah. •

It is related in the history of Ibn A'sakir that Ibrahim heard traditions from az Zuhri and narrated them on the authority of his paternal uncle Hisham, and his son Yakiib recited them from him. His mother was a slave concubine,t and he was the brother of Marwan u'l Himar by

l]is mother. His deposal took place on Monday the 14th of Safar in the year 127 (23rd November 744). Al Madaini says that his authority was never completely established, one party acknowledging him as Caliph and another acknowledging his temporal government, and another refusing altogether to swear him allegiance, and one of the poets of that time has

We swear Ibrahim J allegiance every Friday Verily a government must perish that hath thee for its ruler.

It has been said by some one that the impression on his signet ring !" was, " Ibrahim relies upon God

* Lit. nights, but the word O^ is often used to signify a period of twenty-four hours counted from the sunset of one day to the sunset of the next. t TJmm-Walad, eiguiflea a slave who has home a child to her master." After she has hecome a mother, she can no longer he sold, and is considered as married to her master though no marriage ceremony may have been performed.

t For (^^[fi\ e'^ of the text, I read with Masa'udi, (^^^j>\ ^^. [ 260 1

A. H. 127. A. D. 744. MAEWAN AL HIMAE.

Marwan the Ass, Abu A'bdu'l Malik-b-Muhammad-b-Marwan-bi'l Hakam was the last of the Caliphs of the Band Umayyah. He was surnamed al Jaa'di after his preceptor al Jaa'd-b'Dirham,* and the Ass, because he was never weary of fighting those who rose up against him, and he would mate march after march and was patient \inder the hard-

ships of war. It is a proverbial expression—" such a one is more patient than an ass in war," and for that reason he was so named. Another reason

given is, that the Arabs name every hundred years an ass, and when the rule of the Banu Umayyah was nigh upon a hundred years, they called. Marwan the Ass, on that account. Marwan was born in Mesopotamia of which his father was administrator in the year 72 and his mother was a slave concubine. Before his Caliphate he had the government of several important prefectures and took Iconium in the year 105. He ^was famed for his horsemanship, intrepidity, manliness, sagacity and recklessness. When al Walid was slain and the news reached him, he being in Armenia, he summoned such of the Muslims as approved him, to do him allegiance, and they swore fealty to him. As soon as he heard of the death of Yazid, he disbursed sums of money and set out and fought Ibrahim and put him to flight. Marwan was then acknowledged Caliph and that occurred in the middle o£ Safar in the year 127 and his authority was firmly established.

The first thing he did was to command the exhuming of Yazid an Nakis, and he took him out of his grave and crucified him for his murder of al Walid. However he found little repose in the Caliphate on account of the number of those that rose 'against him on every side up to the year 132. Then the Banii A'bbas rebelled against him, and at their head A'bdu'Uah-b-A'li, the paternal uncle of as SafEah. He set out to engage them, and the two armies met near Mosul. Marwan was routed and he returned to Syria, but A'bdu'Uah followed him and Marwan fled to Egypt. Salih, the brother of A'bdu'Uah pursued him and they met at the village of Blisirt and Marwdn was slain in Du'l Hijjah of the same year. (5th August 750.)

* Ibn u'l Athir says that Jaa'd had the reputation of being an atheist, and he indoctrinated Marwan with his own heresies, teaching the creation of the Kor&n and the denial of predestination. t Four several places all in Egypt—says Gibhon tore the name of Busir or Busiria, so famous in Greek fable. The first where Marwan was slain to the west of the Nile in the provinoe of Fium or Arsinoe, the second in the Delta, the third near the Pyramids, the fourth, which was destroyed by Dioolotian, in the Thebuia. Chap. XII, Decline and Fall, [ 261 ]

Of people of note who died during his reign were, as Suddi, the A. H. 132. elder, Malik-b-Din4r, the ascetic, A'asim-b-Ahi'n Najiid, the Kuran reader, A. D. 750. Yazid-b-A'bi Habib, Shaybah-b-Nisah the Kuran reader, Muhammad-b- u'l Munkadir, Abu Jaa'far Tazid-b-i'l Ka'kaa' the KurSn reader of Medina, Abu Aylib as Sikhtiyani, Abu'z Zinad, Hammam-b-Munabbih, and Wasil- b-A'ta the Mua'tazalite.

As Siili records on the authority of Muhammad-b-Salih, that when Marwan was slain, his head was cut off and sent to A'bdu'Uah-b-A'li, who

gazed upon it, and it was removed, when a cat came and tore out the " tongue and began to gnaw it ; whereupon A'bdu'Uah-b-A'li said, if the

world had shown us none other of its wonders but the tongue of Marwan in the mouth of a eat, it would have been sufficient for us."

AS SAFFA'H,

First Oaliph of the Souse of AHibaB.

As' Saffah, the first Caliph of the House of A'bbds, Abii'l A'bbas, A'bdu'llah-b-Muhammad-b-A'li-b-A'bdi'llah-b-A'bbas-b-A'bdi'lMuttalib-b- Hashim, was born in the year 108 (some say 104) at Humaymah in the district of Balk;a, and there grew to manhood. He was acknowledged Caliph at Kiifah. His mother was Eaitah of the tribe of Harith. He related traditions on the authority of Ibrahim-b-Mu^iammad the Imam, and his paternal uncle. Isa-b-A'li related them on his. He was younger

than his brother al Mangiir. , Ahmad records in his Musnad on the authority of Abu Sa'id al Khudri that the Apostle of God said, " there shall come forth from the people of my house, after the lapse of time and the appearance of seditions, a man called as Saffah, and it shall come to pass that his largesses of money shall be by handfuls." U'baydu'Uah al A'yshi narrates—" my father relates ' I heard the Shaykhs saying—by Allah, verily the Caliphate hath come to the children of A'bbas, and there is not upon the earth any more learned in the Kuran, nor more distinguished for piety nor more devout than they.' " The origin of the authority of the Banii A'bbas was that the Apostle of God told his uncle A'bbas that the Caliphate would descend to his posterity, and his descendants continued in expectation of it (Ibn Jarir at Tabari). The latter relates from Eishdin-b-Kurayb, that Abu Hashim A'bdu'Uah-b- Muhammad-b-i'l Hanafiyah went to Syria, and met Muhammad-b-A'li-b- A'bdi'Uah-b-A'bbas and said, " cousin, verily I have information which I wish to lay before thee, but be sure tell no one of it—^verily this authority [ 262 ]

A. H. 132. which people hope for, shall be with you." The other replied, " verily

A. D. 750. I was aware of it, but let no one hear of it from thee." Al Madaini* narrates on the authority of a number of people, that the Imam Muhammad-b-A'li-b-A'bdi'llah-b-A'bbas said, "we have three op- portunities—the death of Yazid-b-Mu'awiyah, the beginning of the century, and the rupture in Africa. At that time the summoners shall summon the people in our behalf, and our allies from the east shall come until their horsemen shall reach the west." And when Tazid-b-Abi Muslim was slain in Africa and the Berbers were reduced, Muhammad the Imam sent a man to Khurasan and commanded him to invite the people to approve one of the posterity of Mu- hammad and not to name any one. Then he despatched Abd Muslim al Khurasani and others, and wrote to the principal men who received his letters favourably, but it came to pass that Muhammad died, leaving the succession to his son Ibrahim. On the news of this reaching Marwan, he imprisoned Ibrahim and put him to death. Ibrahim had bequeathed the succession to his brother A'bdu'Uah as Saffah and his followers gathered about him and he was acknowledged as Caliph at Kufah on the 3rd Eabii' u'l Awwal in the year 132. He read prayers to the people on the Friday and said in his discourse, " praise be to God who hath chosen Islam for Himself and hath honored it and exalted it and magnified it and hath chosen it for us and strengthened it by us, and made us its people, its asylum and its defence to maintain and protect it." Then he went on to mention the kinship of the Banw A'bbds alluded to in the Kuran until he said, " and when the Lord took to Himself His prophet, his companions stood up in

authority untU the Banu Harb and Marwan usurped it, and they were tyrannous and appropriated every thing to themselves. And God bare with them for a time until they angered Him, wherefore He took vengeance upon them by our hands, and restored unto us our right, that He might be bountiful through us upon those who are outcastf throughout the earth, and He. hath ended with us as He began with us and we of the prophetical house have no grace but through God. ye people of Kiifah ye are the seat of our regard and the abiding place of our affection—^ye have not been remiss in this, nor hath the rigour of the tyrannous turned ye from it—for ye are the most favored people unto us and of those who

most honour us ; wherefore verily I have increased your largesses by a

* Atu'l Hasan A'li-b-Mulfammad al MadSini vraa a Mawla of the family of A'bd Shams-b-A'bd Manaf. Ho was bom A. H. 135 (762-3) and died A. H. 225 (839-40). He was a disciple of the Mua'tazalite doctor Ma'mar-b-u'l Ashath. He wrote upwards of twenty works on Muljammad and many others biographical and historical ti-eatises, De Slane I. K.

t Tor tyiM>^] read Ijij^AUf [ 263 ] hundred dirhams each. Therefore he prepared, for I am the justifying A. H. 132. shedder of blood and the destroying avenger."* A. D. 750. fsa-b-A'lif when he mentioned their setting out from HumaymahJ for Kiifah, used to say, " fourteen men departed from their homes, seeking what we sought through the greatness of their resolution, the steadfastness of their hearts." When news of the allegiance sworn to as Saffah reached Marwdn, he set forth to encounter him, but was defeated as hath gone before, and afterwards slain. At the ceremony of allegiance sworn to as Saffah, a countless number§ of the Banu Ummayyah and their followers were put to death and his dominions were firmly settled under his authority to the furthest confines of the West. Ad Daha'bi says that in his reign the unity of the State was dissolved and all between Tahart and Tubnah as far as the Soudan fell from his obedience, as well as the entire kingdom of Spain, and there come forth in these provinces, those|| who took possession of them, and that so continued. As Saffah died of small-pox in Du'l Hijjah in the year 136 (9th June 754) bequeathing the succession to his brother Abd Jaa'far. In the year

136 he removed to Anbar and made it the seat of government.

Eegarding accounts of as Saffah, S'lili relates among his sayings, " As power becomes great, concupiscence grows less. It is rare that bounty is given unasked but a just claim is destroyed thereby. Verily they are the basest and meanest of men who account avarice prudence, and clemency ignoble. When forbearance is mischievous, to pardon is weakness.

Patience is praiseworthy save in what prejudices the faith or renders sovereignty contemptible, and moderation is commendable except at the season of 'opportunity. As Sdli adds that as Saffah was the most generous of men—he never made a promise and delayed its fulfilment at its appointed time, nay he never rose from his seat without performing it.

* This discourse whicli is here consideratly shortened, is given in full by Ibn n'l Athir. During its delivery as Saffah -was seized with an attack of fever and sat down. His uncle Dauud-b-A'li rose and continued the oration which will be found in tlie Kamil. t The uncle of the Caliph al Mansur and of as Saffa^. J The K£mil has erroneously **j!*^ § Sulayman-b-A'li put to death a number of them at Baarah, and had their bodies flung to the dogs. Abdu'llah-b-A'U, in Palestine massacred about ninety of them. " The laws of hospitality were violated by a, promiscuous massacre, the board was spread over their fallen bodies and the festivity of the guests was enlivened by the music of their dying groans." The surprising accuracy of Gibbon can only be known to those who consult his authorities. Though the KamU is not one of them, the above passage is almost a Hteral' translation from it. The Edrisites of Mauritania and the Fatimites of Africa and Egypt. 11 [ 264 ]

him, " I have heard of a million A. H. 136. A'bdu'Uah-b-Hasan once said to he ordered concerning A. D. 754. dirhams but have never seen them," whereupon them and they were brought, and he commanded him to take them with him to his house. As Siili says that the impression on his signet-ring was, " God is the reliance of A'bdu'Uah and on Him he confideth." Scarcely any poetry of his has been handed down. Sa'id-b- Muslim al Bahili narrates that A'bdu'llah-b-Hasan went in unto as SafEah and the assembly was full of the Banii Hashim and their followers and the chiefs of the people and with him he carried the Kuran and he said, " prince of the Faithful, give us our right which God hath vouchsafed unto us in this book." He replied, " verily thy great-grand-

father A'li, who was better than I am and more just, held this authority, and he gave unto thy progenitors al Hasan and al Husayn somewhat, and

it would be but right did I give thee the same, and if I have done

that, verily I have given thee thy due, and if I have done more, then this should not be my reward from thee." And A'bdu'Uah departed and returned no answer, and the people were astonished, at the reply of as SafEah. Historians say ^that under the House of A'bbas the unity of Islam was dissolved, and the Arab name lapsed from the registers, and the Turks were installed in public offices and the Daylamites came into power, and afterwards the Turks, and a mighty empire belonged to them, and the dominions of the earth were parcelled out and on every side was a usurper, doing violence to the people and ruling them with tyranny. They say that as Saffah was quick to shed blood and his prefects in the east and west followed his example in that, but withal he was liberal with his

wealth. « Of people of note who died in his reign were Zayd-b-Aslam, Abdu'- Uah-b-Aslam, A'bdu'llah-b-Abi Bakr-b-Hazm, Eabii' ar Eai,* jui-isconsult

of Medina ; A'bdu'l Malik-b-U'mayr, Tahya-b-Abi Ishak al Hadbrami, Abdu'l Hamid the wellknown scribe slain with Mai'wan at Bu§ir, Mansiir- b-u'l Mu'atamtr, and Hammam-b-Munabbih.'

AL MANS'im.

Al Man§dr Abu Jaa'far, A'bdu'llah-b-Muhammad-b-A'li-b-A'bdi'Uah-b- A'bbas (whose mother was Salamah a Berber slave concubine) was born in the year 95 and had known his grandfather but had no traditions from

* Or the Eationalist, so called, because he drew many of his legal decisions from the fourth source of Muljammadan law, which is entitled Hai (private judgment) or Kiyas (analogy). This system was followed by the Hanafites who were called Ashabu'r Eai, or Eationalists. See De Slane, I. K. notes to Uabii' u'r Eai. [ 265 ]

136. him. He narrated tbem on the authority of his father and A'ta-b-Tasdr ; A. H. and his son, al Mahdi, from Jiim. -A-. D. 754. He was acknowledged Caliph according to the bequest of his brother and was the foremost among the Band A'bbas in majesty of demeanour, bravery, prudence, iudgment and haughtiness—a hoarder of wealth, averse to pastime and frivolity, of cultivated mind, of excellent converse in science and literature and with a natural taste for jurisprudence. He put a multitude of people to death until his power was established, and it was he who scourged Abji Hanifah on account of Ms refusal to accept the office of Kddhi, and then put him in prison where he died after some days. It is also said that he despatched him by poison because he had passed a judicial sentence authorizing rebellion against him. He was polished in language, eloquent and fluent, well fitted, for governing but excessively avaricious. He was surnamed Abu'd Dawanik* on account of his scrutiny of the accounts of intendants and artificers even to fractions of dirhams and grains. Al Khatib records on the authority of the prophet that he said, *' from us shall arise as Saffdh and from us al Manslxr, and from us al Mahdi," (ad Dahabi states this to be unacknowledged and its ascription interrupted). He and Ibn A'sakir and others state on the ascription of Sa'id-b-Jubayr that Ibn A'bbas said, " from us shall come as SafEah, from us al Mansdr and from us al Mahdi." The ascription of this is pronounced by ad Dahabi to be sound. Ibn A'sakir records from Abu Sa'id al Khudri that he narrates, "I heard the apostle of God say, 'from us shill arise al Kaim, from us al Man?ui', from us as Saffah and from us al Mahdi. As to al Kaim, the Caliphate shall come to him, and during his reign not a cupping-glass of blood shall be spilt, as to al Mansur, his standard shall not be turned back : as to as Saffah, he will lavish treasure and blood and with regard to al Mahdi, he shall fill the Caliphate with justice as it hath " been filled with tyranny.' And from al Mansur, that he said, " I beheld myself as it were in the precincts of the temple and the Apostle of God was in the Kaa'bah the door of which was open and a crier cried out, ' where is A'bdu'llah ?' and piy brother Abu'l A'bbas arose and stood upon the step and was taken within, and it was not long before he became forth with a spear upon which was a black pennon measuring four cubits. Then there was cried out, ' where is A'bdu'Uah ?' And I stood upon the step and was made to ascend and lo ! there was the Apostle of God and Abu Bakr, Omar and Bilal, and he invested me with authority and commended to me his people, and put on my head a turban, the windings of which were twenty and

* A Danilj ia the sixth part of a dirham. [ 266 ]

A. H. 136. three and he said, 'take this unto thyself, father of |^the Caliphs, until " A. D. 754. the day of resurrection.' Al Man§ixr assumed the Caliphate in the beginning of the year 137. The first thing he did was to put to death Abu Muslim al Khura- sani, the author of their Call and the founder of their dynasty. In the year 138 A'bdu'r Eahman-b'Mu'awiyah-b-Hisham-b-A'bdi'l Malik-b- Marwan the TJmayyad entered Spain and conquered it. His reign was long and Spain continued in the hands of his descendants until after the fourth century. This A'bd'r Bahman was a man of learning and justice. His mother was a native of Barbary. Abu MudhafEar al Abiwardi says that people used to say that the two sons of two Berber women ruled the world—al Manslir and A'bdu'r Eahmah-b- Mu'awiyah. In the year 140 he laid the foundation of the city of Baghdad. In the year 141 appeared the Bdwandiyah* sectaries the asserters of metempsychosis and al Mansur put them to death. During the same, Tabaristaa was conquered. Ad Dahabi says that in the year 143 the doctors of Islam began at this period to compose works on tradition, jurisprudence and the interpretation of the Kuran. Thus Ibn Juraijf wrote at Mecca, Malik composed the Muwatta at Medina, al Auzaa'i wrote in Syria, Ibn Abi A'rubah,J Hammad-b-Salamah§ and others in Basrah, Ma'mar, in Taman,|| Sufyan at Thauri in Klifah, Ibn Ishak drew up his Maghazi (wars of Islam.) Abu Hanifah wrote treatises on law and the theory of private judghaent. Very soon after Hushaym,^ al Layth, and Ibn Lahia'h com-

• 'Weil is in accordance with. Ibn u'l Athir wlio calls tiiem " Edwandiyah, a people of Khurasan, followers of A'bu MuaUm and believing in metempsychosis." Masa'udi

calls the sect Khurramiyah—in one MS. (*j!'^;^)and in two others ^j^ and *il'^^

YakAt places Efiwand between Kfahdn and Ispahan. The text *i*i>:!j is incorrect. t Abu KhaJid A'bdu'l Malik of Mecca, by adoption a member of the Kuraysh. It is said he was the first in Islam to compose books, died A. H. 149, (766). Ibn Khali. For fi^ read ^>J- I A traditionist of Basrah, died A. H. 166, (772-3.) De Slane I. K. § Abu SulamaJi Hammad-b-Salamah, a traditionist of the highest order, descended from an enfranchised slave of this Banu Tamim, died A. H. 167. Ibid. Ma'mar-b-Abi II U'rwah Eashid a Mawla to the tribe of Azd, learned traditions from az Zuhri a native of Basrah and settled in Taman, died A. H. 153. De Slane I.K.

IT Abu Mua'wiyah, Hushaym the Traditionist was a, native of Basrah died A. H. 183. Slane in translating De this passage of ad Dahabi (Introduction to Vol. 1,) " gives Ibn Hishsim," for " Hushaym." Ibn Hishim's family was also of Basrah though he was born at old Cairo. He is the author of the history of the Prophet drawn from Ibn IshfiVs work and called Sirat Ibn Hish&ca. He died A. H. 218 I have not the work of ad consult Dahabi to : the Nujum, of Abu'l Maljasin from which De Slauo [ 267 ]

posed their works. Then followed Ibn u'l Mubarak and Abu Yusuf and A. H. 143. Ibn Wahab, at which period the collection of works of science and their A. D. 760. classification increased greatly and, treatises on the Arabic language and idiom were drawn up and also on history and the encounters of the desert Arabs. Before this period, the learned used to discourse from memory or lectured on science from manuscripts, accurate, but unsystematically arranged." In the year 145 occurred the rebellion of the brothers Muhammad and Ibrahim, the two sons of A'bdu'llah-b-Hasan-b-i'l Hasan-b-A.'li-b-Abi Talib, but al Manglir defeated and slew them and a large number of the descendants of the prophetical House. Verily we belong to God and verily unto Him shall we return. Al Man^dr was the first who occasioned dissensions between the A'bbassides and the Aliites for before that they were united. He persecuted many of the learned who had risen with them or counselled rebellion, by puttbg them to death and scourging them and in other ways—among them Abu Hanifah and A'bdu'l Hamid-b-Jaa'far, and Ibn A'jlan. Among those who pronounced on the legality of rebel. ling with Muhammad against al Manstir, was Malik-b-Anas. It was said to him-^" upon our necks is the oath of allegiance to al Mansdr !" He

replied—" ye swore allegiance under compulsion and an oath is not binding upon one who is forced." In the year 146 occurred the expedition against Cyprus. In the year 147 al Man§ur removed his paternal uncle I'sa-b-Musa' from the succession to which as SafEah had appointed him after al Mansdr. Isa was he who fought for him against the two brothers and defeated them and he rewarded him by setting him aside against his will and nominating his own son al Mahdi. In the year 148 the whole empire was firmly established under the authority of al Mansdr, and awe of him waxed great in the minds of men. The provinces submitted to him and Spain alone was excluded from his sway, for A'bdu'r Rahman-b-Mu'awiyah, the Umayyad, of the house of

Marwan, had taken possession of it, but he was not called prince of the Faithful but " the prince" only and in the same way, his posterity.

cites, has " Hisham" without any p^e&x. DeSlane is incorrect in his translation of xxiv) as tJiB word t^lr ' in his Introduction!, (p. will he seen on a reference to the original in Abul Mahasin where the name Eahii' does not occur. Moreover after the **yJy words islr^ in the Nujum follows Now Eabii' was jurisconsult of Medina and Ibn Khali mentions nothing of his ever having been at Kufah whereas it was Abu Hanifah' 3 native town/ For the biographies of those authors not mentioned in the notes, consjdt Ibn £! i.

/ / — J

[ 268 ]

A- H. 145. In the year 149 al Man^ur completed the building of Baghdad. In A, D. 762. the year 150, the Khurasan troops under their leader Usfcad Sis* revolted from his authority and seized the grea^ part of Khurasan, and calamities increased and evils waxed great and affairs grew serious with al Man§ur, for the strength of the army of Khurasan amounted to 3,00,000 warriors horse and foot. Ajthamf al Marwazi engaged them in battle but he was slain and his army destroyed. Then al Manslir despatched Khazim- b-Khuzaymah to attack them at the head of a prodigious force that obstructed the plains, and the two armies met and fought obstinately. It was a famous battle. It is said that seventy thousand men were slaia

in it and Ustad Sis was routed and he fled to the mountains. The general, Khazim, gave orders in the following year regarding the prisoners, and their heads were struck off and they were in number 14000. Then they besieged Ustad Sis for some time, until he surrendered. They kept him in confinement and dismissed his troops who numbered 30,000,

In the year 151 al Manstir built ar Rusafah {^of KufaK) and made it a strong and lofty construction. In the year 153, al Mansur compelled his subjects to wear tall caps— they used to make them of reed and paper, and cover them with black. Abd Dulamah§, says We desired an increase from the Imam And the chosen Imam gave us an increase to our caps.

Thou mayest behold them on the heads of men as if They were wine jars of the Jews covered with the bumlis. In the year 158 al Manslir commanded the governor of Medina to imprison Sufyan at Thauri and A'bbad-b-Kathir and they were put into confinement, and the people feared that al Mangur would put them to death when he came from the pilgrimage, but the Lord did not suffer him

to reach Mecca in health, for he arrived ill and died, and the Lord was sufficient for them against his wicked purpose. His death occurred at Batnll in Du'l Hijjah (6th) (7th October 775) and he was buried between al Hajin and Bir Maymun. Salm^ al Khdsir says,

* So Ibn u'l Atliir and Weil. The text gives (jHS** ol*«l which is incorrect, t Ibn u'l Athir has " Ajsham" /,ma.\

X For (•j''^ read ^j^

§ Abd Dultoah was an Abyssinian slave celebrated for his wit, his amusing adventures and his talekt for poetay. He died A. H. 161 (778-9). His real name was Zand. Some amusing stories regarding him, may be found in Ibn KhaUikdn. Batn Mutt or Marr, five miles from Mecca. II This name is not mentioned by

"Weil or Ibn Athir : Masa'udi says that death overtook him at the Bustan of the Banu A'Amir on the Irdk road. Al IJaj-dn fe a hill overlooking Mecca. II A native of Basrah, a poet notorious for his profligati. Ufe, He lived at Bagh.< [ 269 ]

The pilgrims returned and left the son of Muhammad A. H. 158. As a pledge at Mecca in the niched tomb. A. D. 775. They witnessed the entire ceremonies while their Imam Beneath the broad stone, purposing, to perform the pilgrimage, witnessed them not.

Eegarding accounts of al Manstir, Ibn A'sAkir records with its ascriptions, that Abu Jaa'far al Mansur used to travel for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, before his Caliphate. Once when he was about to enter a place of resort, the guardian seized him and said, " pay down two dirhams before thou enterest." He replied, " loose me for for I am one of the Banii Hashim." The man said, " pay down two dirhams." He replied " loose me, for I am one of the descendants of the uncle of the prophet." The man went- on, "pay down two dirhams." He replied, "loose me for I am a man versed in the book of God." The man repeated " pay down two dirhams." He exclaimed " loose me for I am a man skilled in jurisprudence and the law of inheritance." He replied " pay down two dirhams." When at length the man's insistance wearied him, he paid the two dirhams and returned and set himself to amassing money and to scrupulous niggardliness therein, until he received the nickname of Abii'd Dawanik. And on the authority of Eabii'-b-Yunas

the chamberlain, who narrates, " I heard al Mansur say, ' the Caliphs are four, Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and A'li, and the kings are four, Mua'wiyah, A'bdu'l Malik, Hisham and I." And from Malik-b-Anas,

" I went in unto al Mansur and he said, ' who are the most excellent of

!' men after the apostle of God I replied, ' Abu Bakr and Omar.' He said, ' thou hast hit it—and such is the opinion of the prince of the Faith- ful.' " And from Isma'il al Fihri, " I heard al Mansiir on the day of A'rafah,

' saying in his discourse from the pulpit at A'rafah, ye people ! verily I am the Lord's ruler upon His earth and I govern ye through His grace and guidance and I am His treasurer over His tribute which I divide according to His pleasure and bestow with His permission. And verily the Lord hath made me as a lock upon it : when He willeth to open me, he openeth me that I may give unto ye, and when it pleaseth Him to fasten me. He fasteneth me. Wherefore turn ye to the Lord, O ye people! and ask of Him on this glorious day in which he hath given unto ye of His grace, as he hath made known to ye in His Book when he saith, " this day I have perfected your religion for ye and have completed my mercy upon

dad and received his epithet (the loser) because he sold a copy of the Kurau to huy a, book of poetry or else because he squandered his patrimony. He died about 186 A, H. De Slaue I. E. C 270 1

A. H. 158. ye, and I have chosen for ye Islam to be your religion" (Kvir. V)*, that He A. D. 775. may vouchsafe unto me justness of conduct, and guide m? to rectitude and inspire me with clemency unto ye and kindness towards ye, aiid open me to be bountiful unto ye, and the distribution of your allowances in equity, for he hearkeneth and granteth.' " As Suli records this and mentions

further at the beginning of it, that the reason of this discourse was that the people esteemed him niggardly, and he adds at the end, " and people said *the prince of the Faithful transfers to his God the responsibility of •withholding his hovmty^ " And he records on the authority of al Asma'i and others that al Mansdr ascended the pulpit and said, " praise be unto

God : I glorify Him and implore His aid, and I believe in Him and put

iny trust in Him and I testify that that there is no god but one God who hath no equal." Then there arose before him a man who said, " O prince of the Faithful, be thou mindful of Him whom thou art praising." He answered, " welcome, welcome, verily thou hast admonished me by One that is great and put me in fear of One that is mighty—God forbid, that I should be as one who when it is said to him, ' fear God,' his pride takes it as an offence, but the exhortation began with me and proceeded from me ; and

thou ! thou speaker, I swear by Allah, it was not God thou thoughtest of, but thou soughtest that it should be said—he arose and spake and was punished but bore it patiently. But the thing is not worthy of notice from such a speaker, and take this as a favourable opportunity from

God.t Have a care. Verily I have pardoned it. Beware, ye men, of the like of it ;—and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle." He then returned to his discourse asflitently as though he were reading it from paper. He also records with various ascriptions that al Mansdr said to his eon al Mahdi—" O Abd A'bdu'llah, nothing maketh a Caliph virtuous but piety, nor well disposeth a monarch but obedience, nor reformeth a people

but justice ; and thf best of men to pardon is he who is the most powerful

of them to chastise, and the feeblest of men in intellect is he who oppresseth him that is beneath him. Do not proceed with an aSair until thou hast reflected upon it, for the meditation of a wise man is a mirror which showeth him his faults aud his merits. son, seek the continuance of bounty by gratitude, and of power by pardon, and of obedience by conciliating affection, and of victory by humility and forgiveness of men." And from Mubdrak-b-Fudhdlah that he said, " we were with al Mansiir when

he summoned a man and sent for a sword, and Mubarak said, ' prince

* This passage it is said wa3 revealed on Friday evening, being the day ofthe pilgrims visiting aoimt A'rafat the last time Muljammad repaired to the temple of Mecca, therefore cUed the pilgrimage of Valediction. Sale, p. 81. t The KdmU has «!»>** il l«*^l. "

[ 271 1 of the Faithful, I heard al Hasan declare that the Apostle of God said, A. H. 158, " when the day of resurrection cometh, a crier of the Lord's shall rise A. D. 775. and shall cry out—arise those whose reward is with God, and none shall stand up but he who hath pardoned." And al Man§ur said—let him go his way.' And from al Asma'i, that a man was taken to al Man§iir whom he was about to punish, but the man said, " prince of the Faithful, vengeance is but justice, but forgiveness would be super-eminent virtue and may God preserve the prince of the Faithful from choosing for himself the less noble of two courses without being able to attain to the higher degree ;" and he pardoned him. And from the same, that alMansiir met a desert Arab in Syria and said to him, " praise God, O Arab, who hath taken from ye the plague under the government of us of the prophetical house ;" He replied, " verily God hath not overwhelmed us with both bad dates and bad measure, your government and the plague." And from Muhammad-b-Mansiir al Baghdadi, that a certain devotee* stood up before al Mansiir and said, " verily the Lord hath given unto thee the whole earth, redeem then thy soul, with a portion of it. Remember the night which thou shalt pass in the grave,—a night thou hast never before so passed, and remember the night which shall bring forth the day that hath no night after it." And al Manglir was silenced and commanded money to be given to him, but he said, " if I needed thy money, I should not have admonished thee." And from A'bdu's Salam-b-Harb, that al Mansiir sent for A'mr-b-U'bayd who came to him, and he commanded money to be given to him but he refused to

accept it, and al Mansiir said, " by AUah, thou shalt accept it." He replied, " by Allah, I will not accept it." Al Mahdi who was present said to him, " verily the prince of the Faithful hath taken his oath." He replied, " the prince of the Faithful is more able to pay the expiation of broken oaths than is thy uncle."*!- Al Mansiir said to Him, " ask for what

• This was A'mr-b-TJbayd whose mention follows in the next anecdote. Both of ihem are related in his life in Ibn Khallikan. He was a celebrated ascetic and

Bcholastio theologian ; his devotion was proverbial though his orthodoxy is disputed ly nearly all but his own sect of the Mu'atazalites of which he was the chief. He was liom A. H. 80 (699) and died A. H. 144 (761-2). Al Mansur composed an elegy on his death tod praised bim as an orthodox believer and saint. t In Ibn Khallikan, he addresses al IMahdi, as " son of my brother" and therefore calls himself his uncle, not of course meaning that there existed the remotest relationship, for A'mr's father acted as lieutenant to the successive chiefs of police at Ba?rah and had been one of the prisoners taken at Kabul. The expiation for breaking an oath consists in granting freedom to a slave or in once feeding and clothing ten paupers—if this cannot be done, a fast for three days is obligatory. De Slaue, I. K.

Vol. I, p. 53. [ 272 ]

A. H. 158. thou needest." He replied, " I ask thee not to send for me until I go to A. D. 775. thee, and not to give unto me until I ask of thee." He said, " dost thod know I have made this al Mahdi my heir ?" He replied, " the supreme power will come to him the day it comes to him, and thou wilt be other- vrise employed than in providing for it." And from A'bdu'Uah.b-Salih that al Man^tir wrote to Sawwar Kadhi of Basrah, saying, " look to the piece of land regarding which a certain officer and a certain merchant have disputed and give it to the officer ;" and Sawwar wrote, " verily it

was proved to me that it belonged to the merchant, and I cannot withdraw

it from his possession except on clear evidence." Then al Mansur wrote,

" by Allah, save whom there is no God, thou shalt give it to the officer ;" Sawwdr replied to him, " by Allah, save whom there is no God, I shall not withdraw it from the possession of the merchant except lawfully." When this letter reached al Manstir, he exclaimed, " thou hast filled thy

office with justice and my judges are now turning me to justice." And from another source that Sawwar was denounced to al Mansur who summoned him, and al Mangur happened to sneeze and Sawwar did not bless him, and al Man§lir said, " what prevented thee from saying a blessing ?" He replied, " because thou didst not praise God."* Al Mansur said, " indeed I praised God to myself," and he answered " I prayed for a blessing on

thee to myself." The Caliph exclaimed, " go back to my office, for verily if thou payest no regard to me, thou wilt pay none to any other." And from Numayr al Madani who narrates, " al Man§iir arrived at Medina, and Muhammad-b-Imran at Talhai was holding judgment as Kadhi and I was his scribe. And certain camel-owners sought justice against al Mansdr in some affair, and Muhammad ordered me to write to

him to appear, and to do them justice ; but I asked to be excused, but he would not excuse me, wherefore I wrote the summons and sealed it." He said—" by Allah, no one shall go with it but thyself." Wherefore I car-

ried it to ar Eabii%rho went in imto al Mansur. Shortly after he came forth and said to the people, " verily the prince of the Faithful saith to ye—" I have been summoned to the judgment-seat, but let no one go up with me." Then he and ar Eabii' went, but the Kadhi did not rise before him, nay, he loosed his mantle and wrapped it round his legs and back, and then summoned the plaintiffs. They made their plaint and he decided

in their favour against the Caliph ; and when he had finished, al Mansur said to him, " may God reward thee for thy judgment, with the best of rewards—verily I have commanded to be given to thee, ten thousand dinars."

* The prayer for the sneezer (-which is, may God avert from thee what may mako thy enemy rejoice at thy affliction) is uttered, when he has, in odedience to an

injunction of tho prophet said *^

[ a73 ]

And from Muhainmad-b-Haf? al I'jli, that a son was born to A'bii A- H. 158. l)uldmah, who went early in the morning to al Mansur and informed him A- D. 775. and recited

" If there sat above the sun, on account of their liberality A people, it would be said—sit ye children of A'bbas. And ascend upon the rays of the sun, all of ye Unto heayen, for ye are the most bountiful of men.

Then Abu Dulamah drew out a purse and al Manst5r said, " what

is that ?" He replied, " I mean to put into it what thou orderest for me."

He said, " fill it for him with dirhams," and it held a thousand dirharas.

And from Muhammad-b-Sallam al Jimhi, that it was said to al Mansur, " is there any yet left of the pleasures of the world that thou hast not en-

joyed ?" He replied, " one thing is still Wanting-^that I should sit upon a bench, and round me the traditionists, the disciple writing from dictation, " saying, 'whom didst thou mention* may the Lord have mercy on thee ?' The next morning the courtiers and the sons of the ministers came with their ink-horns and tablets, but al Mansiir said, "ye are not they—for .they are of soiled garments, weary of foot, long of hair, the couriers of the earth, the transmitters of tradition." And from A'bdu's 8amad-b-A'li,

:that he said to al Manslr, " verily thou hast applied punishment as if thouhadst never heard of pardon." He answered, "because the Banli Mar- wan, their bones have not yet decayed and the swords of the descendants of Abu Talib have not been sheathed, and we are among a people who saw us subjects yesterday and Caliphs to-day, and the fear of us will not take possession of their hearts save by ignoring pardon and the adoption of chastisement." And from Yunas-b-Habib that Ziyad-b-A'bdi'Uah al Harithi wrote to al Mansur, petitioning for an increase to his allowances and stipends, and employed all his eloquence in the composition of his letter but al Mansur noted on the case, saying, "verily wealth and eloquence when combined in one individual, make him vain-glorious, and the prince

of the Faithful hath compassion on thee on that account ; therefore be content with eloquence." And from Muhammad-.b-SaUam, that a slave girl saw al Mansur with a patched tunic, and she exclaimed—" the Caliph with a patched tunic !" He replied, " fie on thee, hast thou not heard the words of Ibn Harmah rf

* That is, of course, asking for the names of the authorities whom the traditionist mentions in the asoriptioua of any tradition. t Abu Isha^ Ibrahim-b-A'li-b-Maslamah-b-A'amir-b-Harmah died A. H. 176. Al Asma'i says of him that he was the last of the poets, and his life has been written by as Suli (probably not now extant). This is the only information regarding him furnished by De Slane in his life of as Suli, I. K. 35 [ 274 ]

A. H. 158. Verily a youth may attain honor though his mantle A. D. 775. Be thread-hare, and the collar of his tunic, patched." Al A'skari says in the Awdil that al Mansdr among the sons of Ahhas, was like A'bdu'l Malik among the Banu Umayyah, in niggardliness. One of the people saw upon him a patched tunic, and said, " great is He who hath tried Ahd Jaa'far with poverty in his own kingdom." Salm the camel-driver once drove al Manslir's camel, singing to it, and al Manslir was so excited with delight, that he nearly fell from the animal, and he rewarded him with half a dirham. The man said, " I drove Hisham and he rewarded me with ten thousand." The Caliph replied, "He had no right to give thee that from the public treasury. O Kabii',* appoint some once to take it from him ;" and they did not finish with him until al Manstir made him drive the camel, going and coming for nothing. In the Awail of al A'skari it is stated that Ihn Harmah was much addicted to wine, and he went into al Man?iir, and versified, saying, " His glances from both sides of his throne When he launches them, contain punishment or favour. On the one hand he to whom thou gxaxi^Sii protection, thou protectesb from destructionjf On the other, he whom thou wishest to be bereft of a child, he is bereft. And al Manslir was pleased with him and said, " what is thy need ?" He replied, " write to thy prefect at Medina not to punish me, if he finds me drunk." Al Man^dr answered, " I will not abate a single restrictive ordinance of the ordinances of God." He said " contrive some expedient for me." And al Manslir wrote to his prefect, saying, " whoever bringeth before thee Ibn Harmah drunk, scourge him with a hundred stripes and scourge Ibn Harmah with eighty." "Wherefore when the watch nsed to pass by Ibn Harmah when he was drunk, he would exclaim, " who will buy a hundred for eighty," and then leave him and pass on. Al Mangur gave him on this occasion ten thousand dirhams and said to him, " take care of them, O Ibrahim, for there is nothing for thee like it again with me."

He replied, " verily I will meet thee on the bridge of as Sirat with it, with the seal of the court treasurer."}

• Abu'l Tadhl Rabii'-b-Yimas was cham'beTlaui to al Man?tir, and later, on the deposition, of Abu Ayub, al !Muri£iii, became his vizier, and continued in the service of al Mahdi in the same capacity. The Caliph treated him -with signal favor. He died in A. H. 170 (786) in the reign al H£di, poisoned according to some, by that Galiph. Ibn Khali.

t This line is faulty : in the text the word Xam| as it stands has no meaning and will

c*i*T *l» not scan—I suggest and adopt the following emendation, cffiir ' *J^I (j^\

% The word '^'H'^ is used by Masa'&di in this sense, in his life of al Mahdi. [ a75 ]

Among the lines of al Mansdr, and they are few, is the following— A. H. 158.

'-' "'^• When thou hast formed an opinion he steadfast in it, ^'

For verily it is an iH-judgment that is vacillating. Nor grant thy enemies respite in power for a single day But be beforehand with them, lest they obtain the same to-morrow.

Abdu'r Eahman-b-Ziyad-b-Anu'm al Ifriki narrates, " I was pursuing my studies with Abti Jaa'far al Manslir before his Caliphate, when he took me into his house and placed some food before me, wherewith there was

' ?' no flesh-meat. Then he called out, girl ! hast thou any sweetmeats She said, 'no.' 'Nor any dates?' 'No.' Then he laid himself down and read ' peradventure your Lord will destroy your enemy,' &c. (Kur. VII.) And when he succeeded to the Caliphate, I visited him, and he said, ' how is my government compared with that of the Banu Umyyah ?' I replied, 'I see no oppression under their rule, but I find it also

' under thine.' He exclaimed, we have no helpers.' I answered, ' Omar-b- A'bdi'l A'ziz said that a monarch is like a market that attracts to itself what will sell freely in it : if he be virtuous, they bring him the virtuous among them ; if he be wicked, they bring him the wicked among them,' whereupon al Mansur lowered his eyes." Among the sayings of al Mansur are,* " kings can tolerate every thing but three practises—revealing a secret, an outrage on his harem, or a blow aimed at his power. When thy enemy stretches out his hand to thee, cut it ofE if thou art able, otherwise kiss it." The ascriptions of these are given by as Suli who also records on the authority of Ya'kiib-b-Jaa'far as one of the instances related of the quick apprehension of al Manslxr,t that he entered Medina and said to ar Eabii', " find me a man who will point out to me the chief rasmsions of the people." And a man came to him and began to inform him about the houses, save that he never began to speak until al Manslir questioned him. And when he left him he ordered him a thousand dirhams. The man asked ar Eabii' for it, but he replied, " he said nothing to me about it, but he will soon ride round again when you can remind him." Al Mansdr continued his ride a second time, and the man began to give him information regarding the homes, but found no opportunity of speaking on the subject of his reward. At length when the Caliph desired to leave him, the man said, beginning of his

Speaking of Sharik, he says, *i«?^l iJ^ ^^jjk ^ V"^ translated by M.de Meynard, " le Khalife lui ayant donnfi un bon sur le payeur de la cour."

* This is told by Masaudi of al Mamun. t This story will be found in Ibn Khallikan's life of ai Eabxi'-b-Yunas. ( 276 ]

A. H. 158. own accord, " and this, O prince of the Faithful, is the house of A'atikah A. D. 775. of whom al Ahwas* says " O dwelling of A'atikah which I avoid Through dread of foes, upon thee my heart is fixed."

Al Maristir was displeased at his beginning to speak unasked, but he

went over the poem in his mind, and behold there was in it,

" I see that thou performest what thou dost promise But there are some insincere of speech who' promise what they never perform." — Al Mansdr laughed and said " confound thee ! Eabii' give him a thousand dirhams."

As Siili records on an ascription from Ishak of Mosul that al Manslir never joined his courtiers in convivial drinking bouts or musical entertainments, but when he sat, a curtain was between him and them, a distance

of twenty cubits being between it and them and he the same distance from

it. The first of the Banu A'bbas who mixed with his courtiers, was al Mahdi. And from Yaklit-b-Jaa'far, that al Mansur said to Kutham-b-u'l A'bbas-b-A'bdi'Uah-b-i'l A'bbas, who was his prefect over Yamamah and Bahrayn, " what is the meaning of Kutham and whence is it derived ?" He replied, " I do not know." Al Manslir exclaimed, " thy name a

Hashimite name, and thou not understand it ! by Allah, thou art ignorant." He replied, " will the prince of the Faithful deign to enlighten me regarding it ?" Al Manslir said, " the Kathim is he who broacheth a cask of wine after eating and " yekthimu al ashiya" means, he takes the things and breaks them." It is related that a fly was worrying al Mansur, whereupon he sent for Mukatil-b-Sulaymanf and asked him why God had created flies ? He replied, " to humble the mighty by their means." Muhammad-b-A'li al Khur^sani says that al Manslir was the first Caliph who admitted astrologers into his society, and acted according to the dictates of the stars, and

the fii'st Caliph for whom Syrian and Persian books were translated into Arabic, such as the apologue of Kalilah and Damnah,J and Euclid. He

• A'tdu'Ilah-b-Muhammad al An?ari, sumamed al Ahwas (and not al Akhwa§ as the text and all the MSS. of Ibh Khali except the autograph have it) was a descendant of one of the An?Ara. He cultivated poetry and such was the virulence of his satires that Omar-h-A'hdi'l A'ziz banished him to the island of Dahlak in the Red

Sea. Omar's successor recalled him, and he died A. H. 179 (796-6.). De Slane, I. K. Vol. I, p. 586. t Ahu'l IJasan MuHtil-h-Sulayman-b-Bashir; he was distinguished as an eminent commentator on the IJuran. As a traditionist his authority is disputed, and the general opinion is unfavorable to his veracity. He died at Basrah, A. H. 150 (767-8. Ibn Khali. % Translated by A'bdu'llah Ibn u'l Mutaffa' the Katib renowned for the elegance I 277 ] was the first who appointed his freedmen to offices and preferred them A. H. 158. before Arabs, and this custom became frequent after his time, until the A. D. 775, Arab sway and preeminence declined. He was also the first who sowed dissensions between the Banu A'bbas and the descendants of A'li for before that they were united in interest.

Traditions from the narration of al Matisur.

As Suli says that al Man^iir was the most learned of men in traditions and genealogy, famous for his research. Ibn A'sakir in his history of Damascus gives the ascription of a tradition told by al Mangur from Ibn A'bbds, that the prophet wore his signet ring on his right hand. And as Siili mentions an ascription through al Manslir from Ibn A'bbas that the Apostle of God said, " the people of my house are like unto the ark of Noah ; who saileth in it is saved, who remaineth behind perisheth." And through al Mangdr from the father of Ibn A'bbas that the apostle of God said, " when I appoint a governor and fix for him his stipend, whatever else he may acquire over and above, is unlawful plunder." And from the father of Yahya-b-Hamzah al Hadhrami that he narrates, " al Mahdi appointed me to the office of Kadhi and said, " be fearless in thy judgments for my father told me on the authority of al A'bbas that the Apostle of God said, " the Lord saith—by my majesty and glory, I will take revenge upon the oppressor in his present life and in his life to come, and I will take vengeance upon him who seeth one oppressed, being able to succour him and yet doth it not.' " And through al Mansiir from Ibn A'bbas that the prophet said, " every connection and every affinity shall be sunder- ed at the day of resurrection, save connection with me and affinity to me.

And from the same that he said, " I heard A'li-b-Abi Talib say, ' journey not in the last three nights of the lunar month nor when the sun is in " Scorpio.'

Of people of note who died in the reign of al Mansdr were Ibn u'l Mukaffa', Suhayl-b-Abi Salih, al A'la-b-A'bdi'r Eahman, Khalid-b-Yazid al Misri the jurisconsult, Dauiid-b-Abi Hind, Abu Hazim Salimah-b-Dinar al Aa'raj (the lame), A'ta-b-Abi Muslim al Khurasani, Yunus-b-U'bayd, Sulayman al Ahwal (the one-eyed), Musa-b-U'kbah, author of the Maghazi, A'mr-b-Ubayd al Mu'atazali, Yahya-b-Sai'd al Ansari, al Kalbi, Ibn Ishak Jaa'far-b-Muhammad as Sadik, al Aa'mash, Shibl-b-A'bbad the ICuran

of his style. He was a Persian by birth, and a Magian but made the- profession of suspected. Islam : his orthodoxy however was always He was put to death under al Mansur's orders. [ a78 ]

A. H. 15^. reader* of Mecca, Muhammad-b-A'jldn, al Madani the jurisconsult, Muham- A. D. 775. mad-b-Abdi'r Eahman-b-Abi Layla, Ibn Juraij, Abu Hanifah, Hajjaj-b- Art^t, Hammad ar Eawiyah, Edbah the poet, al Jariri, Sulayman at Tamimi, A'asim al Ahwal, Ibn Shirmah ad Dhabbi, Mukatil-b-Hayyan, Mukatil-b-

Sulayman, Hisham-b-TJ'rwah, Abu A'mr-b-i'l A'li,, Asha'b at Tammaa', the avaricious, Hamzah-b-Habib az Zayyat, al Auzaa'i' and others.

AL MAHDI.

Al Mahdi Abu Abdu'llah Muhammad-b-i'l Mansdr was born at Aidajt in the year 127 or as some say 126. His mother was Umm Musa, daughter of al Mansdr a descendant of the Himyarite J princes. He was munificent, much extolled, of handsome countenance, beloved by his subjects and o£ orthodox belief. He persecuted the Ziadiks§ and destroyed a considerable number of them. He was the first who commanded the writing of polemical works in refutation of the Zindiks and the heretics. He related

traditions on the authority of his father and Mubarak-b-Fudhalah ; and Tahya-b-Hamzah, and Jaa'far-b-Sulayman al Dhaba'i, and Muhammad-b- A'bdi'Uah ar Eakashi, and Abu Sufyan Sa'i'd-b-Tahya the Himayarite, have narrated them from him. " I have never known it said," observes ad Pahabi, " that there was any invalidation or correction of his testimony." Ibn A'di records from a tradition of Othman ascribed to the prophet, " al Mahdi shall be of the descendants of my uncle A'bbas." Muhammad-b-u'l Walid the Mawla of the Band Hashim is the single authority for this, and he was one who fabricated traditions. Ad Dahabi in this place adduces a tradition of Ibn Masa'dd ascribed to the prophet, " the name of al Mahdi shall correspond with mine and the name of his father with that of my father."

* The difference between a " Kixi" and a " Mukri," is that the first reads the

Eurdn to his pupils, the second makes them read and coTiects them where they 'eir. De Slane, I. K. p. 676, Vol. 1. + Between Khuzistan and Ispahan. t His genealogy aooording to Masa'fidi, al Maii|(ir-h-A'bdi'Uali-b-pi Sabm-b- Abi Sarh, descended from Dd Eu'ayn a Himyrite prince.

§ The precise religious or irreligious code of this free-thinking commune of seotaiians, is nowhere satisfactorily given, but the broad principles of their school seems to have been a denial of the existence of a Supreme Being, the rejection of all religious systems, but a strict observance of the laws of nature as imprinted in the heart of man and the profession ofthe love of humanity in its widest sense. A practical application of this last, permitted incestuous marriages. Consult Weil, p. 105, under al Mahdi. ! —

I a79 ]

When al Mahdi grew up, his father appointed him governor of A. H. 158. Tabaristan and its dependencies, and he was taught polite literature and A. D. 775. associated with the learned and distinguished himseH. Subsequently his father named hJm to the succession and when his father died, he was acknowledged Caliph. The news reached him at Baghdad and he preached before the people and said, " verily the prince of the Faithful is a servant he hath been summoned and hath answered to the summons, and he hath been commanded and hath obeyed." Then his eyes filled with tears and he said, " verily the apostle of God wept at separating from his friends, and indeed, I have suffered a great separation and have been invested with a weighty charge, but the prince of the Faithful reckons upon a reward

from God and I implore His assistance upon the Caliphate of , the Muslims.

O ye people ! be inwardly, as ye appear outwardly, obedient to us, and we will grant ye security and ye will be made worthy of commendation in the end. Lower ye the wings of submission imto him who hath diffused justice amongst ye, and hath put away coercion from ye and hath shed peace over ye, since the Lord hath approved him as a promoter of these things. By Allah, I wUl consume my life between chastising and favouring ye." Niftawayh says that when the public treasure came into the hands of al Mahdi, he set about the removal of grievances and took a considerable part of the public stores and distributed them and treated generously his kind-

red and his clients. Another author observes that the first who congratulated al Mahdi on his accession to the Caliphate and condoled with him on his father's death was Abu Dulamah who said

" Of my eyes one of them is seen joyful Glad for its lord, while the other sheds tears.

Weeping and smiling by turns, for saddens it

That which it takes iU, and that which it experiences, mates it glad. Now the death of the Caliph in the inviolable state of pilgrimage,

grieves it,

And that this most clement one has arisen, gladdens it. I have never before beheld what I have now seen nor do I experience My combing one hair while plucking out another. The Caliph is dead, alas for the religion of Muhammad But there comes to ye after, one that succeeds him. God hath granted to this, the honor of the Caliphate And to the other the beauteous gardens of delight." In the year 159 al Mahdi made a covenant for the succession in favor his sons Miisa of al Eadi and Harun-ar Eashid after him. In the year in 160, Barabad* India was taken by force. During the same al Mahdi * the So word is given both by Ibn u'l Athir and Weil. The latter cannot determine the position of the town, but supposes it to have been on the sea coast or on one of the arms of the Indus. The expeditionary fleet was commanded by A'bdu'l :

[ 280 1

A. H. 160, made the pilgrimage and the guardians of the Kaa'bah informed him that

4- D. 776-7. they feared its breaking in from the number of coverings over it, and he

gave orders regarding it, and it was stripped and restricted to the covering

;of al Mahdi. Snow* was carried to al Mahdi at Mecca. Ad Dahabi .observes that this was never arranged for any sovereign before. In the year 161, al Mahdi commanded the construction of the Mecca

:road, and built houses along it and made reservoirs, and he ordered the .abandonment of the reserved places for Imams in the mosques of Islha and lessened the size of the pulpits and restricted them to the measure of the pulpit of the Apostle of God. In the year 163 and the following years, conquests in the Grecian provinces were numerous. In the year 166 al Mahdi removed to Kasr u's Saldmf and he ordered to be established for him a postal service of mules and camels from the prophetical city (Medina) and from Yaman and Mecca to the royal residence. Ad Dahahi says that he was the first who established a post from al Hijaz to al I'rak. During this and the following years al Mahdi was energetic in the persecution of the Zindiks and in exterminating them and hunting them down throughout the provinces and putting people to death on mere suspicion. In the year 167 he ordered a great enlargement of the sacred mosque (of Mecca) J and brought a number of buildings within its enclosure. In the year 169 al Mahdi

died : he had given chase to an animal, and the quarry rushed into a ruined

-building ; the horse following, al Mahdi struck his back against the door- way and died on the spot. This took place on the 22nd Muharram. (4th August 785). It is also said that he died of poison. Salm al Khasir laments him as follows

" There weeps over al Mahdi one that weeps

As if frenzy were on her, yet she is not insane. Yea—she tears her countenance and discovers Her locks and reveals her tresses. Verily, if the Caliph has passed away after his exaltation, Surely he has left deeds which have not passed away.

Malik-'b-Shihd'b al Masma'i. The troops before setting sail on tlieir return wera attacked by a disease in the mouth, of which about a thousand died. Shipwreck added to their discomfiture and a similar attempt was not repeated. * " A pious and charitable motive may sanctify the foundation of cisterns and caravanseras which he distributed along a measured road of 700 miles, but his train of camels laden with snow could serve only to astonish the natives of Arabia and to refresh the fruits and liquors of the royal banquet." Decline and Fall. Chapter LII. t " The palace of peace"—Yakub states this to have been erected at Rakkah, by ar Eaahid the son of al Mahdi—Eabkah is the ancient Nicephorium. X Burton is an error in giving the year 163, as the date of this enlargement. See Mecca, p. 161. '

[ 281 ]

The peace of God throughout each day A. H. 169. Be upon al Mahdi from the time when he remained a pledge of the A. D. 785. grcme. "We have left religious peace and worldly happiness all

"Where the prince of the Faithful lies buried."

Among accounts of al Mahdi, as Suli says that when he covenanted for the succession of his son Musa, Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah said,

" Allegiance hath been covenanted for Mtisa at Eusafah By which God hath made fasb the loops of Islam. Mlisa, he whose merit the Kuraysh know

And unto them is preeminence among the tribes. Through Muhammad {Musa) after the prophet Muhammad AU lawful things have sprung to life, and all that is forbidden hath perished. The guide of his people—who are through him Protected from ignominy and deprivation. Musa sways the rod of the Caliphate after him (al Mahdi) And with that are dried up the records of pens !"* Another says—

" O son of the Caliph, verily the people of Ahmad {Muhammad) Their desires incline to thee in obedience.

Thou shalt fill the earth with justice, like unto that Which the learned of the people used to relate to them, Until their dead shall desire to witness Of the justice of thy rule what the living behold. Then upon thy father now be the gladness of their empire And hereafter upon thee its garment and its mantle."

As Stili records with its ascription that a woman advanced before al " Mahdi, and said, O sinewf of the Apostle of God ! see to my need." He exclaimed, "I have never heard that epiVAef from any one— (turning to his attendants), do what she wants and give her ten thousand dirhams." Kuraysh al Khuttali says that Salih-b-A'bdi'l Kuddiis al Basri was brought

*l.aJ( (juaa. * jg aji expression that signifies an unalteraWe fact, the ink of the

'^'' '•^ •-*=> pen that decreed it having dried up—so the tradition IJJ' f^\ that is, all that a man meets with in the world has already been destined and cannot be avoided or altered. See the Sahih of Bukhari, Chapter on Fate, p. 976, Folio and Kirmani's notes on this expression. t It may also mean—" heir." The word signifies also the heirs of a person who lias left neither parent nor ofispring, and can be applied to a single person as weU as to a pi. number. 36 —

[ 282 ] k. H. 169. before al Mahdi on the charge of being a Zindik, and Salih exclaimed, " he recited to him regarding himself. ^.. D. 785. I repent before God," and " Enemies suffer not at the hands of a fool What a fool sufiers at his own. And an old man will not abandon his habits Until he is hidden in the dust of his grave." Al Mahdi therefore let him go, but when he was about to depart, he called him back and said, " didst thou not say that an old man will not abandon his habits ?" ' He replied, " yes." " In the same way then," said he, " thou wilt not abandon thy ways until thou diest," whereupon he- ordered him to be put to death. Zahir states that ten traditionists were brought before al Mahdi, among them Faraj -b-Fudhalah and Ghiyath-b- Ibrahim. Now al Mahdi took pleasure in pigeons and when Ghiyath was

introduced, it was said to him, " recite a tradition unto the prince of the Faithful." Whereupon he related from so and so on the authority of Abu Hurayrah from the prophet, " there shall be no wager except on a hoof* or an arrow or lance head" and he added to it, " or a wing." Al Mahdi then ordered for him ten thousand dirhams," but as he arose, al Mahdi said, " I declare that the nape of thy neck is as the nape of the neck of

a liar. Surely thou hast interpolated that." Then he gave orders regarding the pigeons and their throats were cut. It is related that Sharik went in unto al Mahdi who said to him, " one of three things thou must do either thou must take the office of Kadhi, or thou must instruct my sons and relate traditions to them or eat a meal with me." He considered a moment and said, " to eat with thee will be least inconvenient to me." Whereupon al Mahdi ordered dishes of marrow mixed with sugar and " other things, of which he eat ; but the cook said, he will not prosper after it." The narrator adds that after this Sharik taught traditions to them and accepted the office of Kadhi.f Al Baghawi records in the Ja'diyat on the authority of Hamdan al Isbahani that he narrates, " I was with Sharik when there came to him the son of al Mahdi, who leaning against the wall asked him concerning a tradition, but Sharik did not take any notice of him, so he repeated Jiia

t-***^ j*'*' ""^^ * The tradition is not here given entire, it should te j' j' ts* ^' " except in the hoof of « catml, or that of a horse, mule or aas, or in the case of an arrow or lance head"—(shooting or throwing the lance), because all these are used in fight with the enemy. Lane, art (3^ t Masalidi adds to this story that the Caliph having given Sharik an order on the paymaster, Sharik made some difficulty on the subject of payment, upon which the paymaster said—"you have'not been selling cloth P" " No," said Sharik, " but some* thing more precious, my religion." Mvacvii ud Dahab, Vol, VI, [ 283 ]

question and Sharik repeated Ms conduct, when the former said to him, A. H. 169. " it seems as though thou thinkesfc lightly of the sons of the Caliph !" He A. D. 785.

replied, " not so, but knowledge is too precious in the estimation of its

possessors, for them to throw it "away." The other then sank down upon his knees and then put his question, whereupon Sharik said, " thus should knowledge be sought."

Among the verses of al Mahdi recited by as Siili are the following—

" The people will not restrain themselves from us. The people do not weary of us,

Verily their endeavour is To dig up what we have buried. If we dwell in the bowels of the earth They would come where we were."*

As Siili records with its ascription to Muhammad-b-U'marah, that al Mahdi had a slave girl of whom he was passionately fond, and she likewise of him, save that she avoided him not a little, whereupon he sent one clandestinely to her who knew what was in her mind, and she said to him, " I feai- lest he should weary of me and leave me and I should die." Al Mahdi then said concerning this,

" A girl fresh as a new moon Hath conquered my heart. Whenever my love is assured to her She bringeth but excuses ; Separation is not pleasing to me Nor our refraining from meeting. Nay, I will continue in my afEection For her, keeping in fear, satiety."

The following is by him on his boon-Companion, Omar-b-Bazii'. " O God r perfect unto me my joy

Through Abu Hafs my comrade : Tor the pleasure of my life Is in song and wine, And perfumed slave girls And music and enjoyment.

• * The next line I have omitted to translate as 1 can make no sense of it and Ibelieve it to be corrupt. I give it for tlie benefit of those wbo may succeed better.

*"^ ^ji i!fj«''l ts' * ^J^^ it}^ C^ J The first two lines only of the verse are given \>j Masa-ddi but differently to those in the text. They are placed in the mouth of Abd 2akkar a singer performing before the Caliph Harun ar Bashid. I 284 ]

Jnoro v. S. 169. I obiserve that the poetry o£ al Mahdi is much smoother and k. D. 785. graceful than that of his father or of his sons. al Mahdi As Siili also states with ascription to Ishak of Mosul, that at the beginning of his reign, like al Manstir, kept himself secluded from them. It was • / his courtiers for about a year, after which he mixed with suggested to him that he should withdraw himself more, but he said, "verily the enjoyment consists in their being present." And on the authority of Mahdi-b-Sabik, that a man called out to al Mahdi while he was among his cortege.

Say to the Caliph, Hatim is a traitor to thee, Then fear God and Save us from Hatim. For when a virtuous man asks the assistance of a traitor He becomes a partner in his guilt.

Whereupon al Mahdi said, " let every one of my prefects who is named Hatim, be deprived of office." And from Abli TJ'baydah that he said, " al Mahdi used to read to us the five appointed services of prayer in the mosque of Bagrah when he came there. One day prayers were

being begun when a desert Arab exclaimed, ' I am not in a state of legal purification, and verily I desire to join the prayers behind thee.' Whereon he ordered them to wait for him, and they waited for him, and al Mahdi entered the arched niche of the mosque and stayed until it was said that the man had come, upon which he recited the takbir, and the people wondered at the considerate courtesy of the Caliph." And from Ibrahim-b-Nafi', that some of the people of Basrah carried a dispute concerning one of the streams about Basrah before al Mahdi, and he said, " verily the earth belongeth to God being in our hands for the ienefit of the Muslims, therefore that regarding which there hath been no purchase, its value, reverts to all of them and fo« their advantage. Therefore no one individual hath any claim upon it." Then the deputation said, "this

stream is ours by the direction of the apostle of God, for he said, ' he who cultivateth waste land it belongeth to him,' and this land is waste." Al Mahdi threw himself forward at the mention of the prophet, until his cheek touched the ground, and he exclaimed, " I hearken unto what he hath said

and obey." Then he continued, " it remains now to be shown that this is waste land, so that I may make no objection, and yet how can it be waste when the water surrounds it on all sides—now if they can establish the proof of this, I will assent." And on the authority of al Asma'i, I heard al Mahdi from the pukiit

at Basrah say, " verily the Lord hath laid upon ye a command, in tJie performance of which He Himself set the example and made His angels follow Him for He hath said, ' verily God and his angels bless the pro' phet &c.' (Kur. XXXIII.) He hath distinguished him by means of it — '

[ a85 ]

among the apostles inasmuch as He hath distinguished ye by it among A. H. 169. nations." A. D. 785.

I have to observe that he was the first to speak thus in a discourse, and preachers unto this day have been guided by it as an example.

When al Mahdi died, and sackcloths were, hanging from the cupolas of the Caliph's harem, Abu'l A'tahiyah* said

" At eve, they went in dyed garments. And in the morning they were clad in sackcloth. Unto every butting ram in the world Shall come a day when there shall be one butting against him. Thou art not immortal Didst thou live to the age of Noah: Weep for thyself, hapless one If thou art to weep."

Traditionsfrom the narration of al MaTidi.

As Stili gives a tradition through al Mahdi from Abu Sa'id al Ehudrl who said, " the apostle of God preached a discourse to us from the afternoon until sunset which some remember and some have forgotten, and he said in it, ' now verily the goods of this world are sweet and refreshing* and the rest of the tradition in full."

And through al Mahdi from A'bbas, that a deputation of Persians visited the apostle of God, and they had shaved their beards and allowed their moustaches to grow long, and the prophet said—" do the contrary of what they do—let your beards grow long and shave your moustaches," and

the shaving of the moustache means the removal of as much of it as falls upon the lip," and al Mahdi placed his hand upon his upper lip.

Mansiir-b-Muzahim and Muhammad-b-Yahya-b-Hamzah, narrate of of Hamzah-b-Yahya that he said, " al Mahdi read to us the evening prayer

and called out in a high voice, ' In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate.' I exclaimed, * prince of the Faithful what means this !' He replied, ' my father related to me, on the authority of

* Atu lehak Isma'il-b-u'l ;^a3im was bom at Ain u't Tamr in A. H. 130, brought up at Ktifah and settled at Baghdad. He was surnamed Abu'l A'tahiyah, and also al Jarrar, because he sold jars. He was among the principal of the poets who flourished in the eariy times of Islam and ranted in the same class with Bashshar and Abu NawS.s. His- passion for U'tba, a female slave of al Mahdi and his numerous odes to her, added to his notoriety, but did not advance his suit, for though the Caliph was wilUng to bestow her upon him, she disbelieved in his affection and abhorred his face. He died at Baghdad in 211 (A. D. 826). Ibn Khali. [ 286 ]

A. H. 169. Ibn A'bbas, that the prophet called aloud—In the name of God, the A. D. 785. most Merciful, the most Compassionate'—I said to al Mahdi, 'may I " transmit this on thy authority ,?' He replied, ' yes.' Ad Dahabi says, " this ascription is unbroken in continuity but I pever knew any one adduce al Mahdi, or his father as authority for religious

ordipances." Muhammad-b-u'I Walid, client of the Banii Hashim is the only authority for this, and Ibn A'li states that he fabricated traditions. I remark that he is not alone in this, for I have noticed another that follows him. Of people of note who died in the reign of al Mahdi were Shu'bah- J-m'Z Sajjdj Ahu Bistdm, Ibn Abi Dib, Sufyan at Thauri, Ibrahim-b- Adham the ascetic, Dautid at Tai the ascetic, Bashshar-b-Burd the most eminent of the post-classical' poets, Hammad-b-Salamah, Ibrahim-b- Tahman and Khalil-b- Ahmad, author of the treatise on prosody.

AL HADI.

M Hadi, Abd Muhammad, Musa-b-u'l Mahdi-b-i'l Mansur, whose mother was a Berber slave concubine called al Khayzuran, was born at JBai in the year 147 and was acknowledged Caliph after his father, in accordance with the latter's deed of succession. Al Khatib says that no one ruled the Caliphate before him at his age. He continued in it for a year and some months. His father ch^ged him as his last bequest to exterminate the Zindiks and he pursued them actively and put to death a large number of them. He used to be called Musa Atbik, because his upper lip was contracted, and his father placed a servant in charge over him when he was a child, who whenever he saw his mouth open would say, " Musa, draw your lips together !" (Atbik), whereon be would recover himself and compress his lips. He was therefore thus distinguished. Ad Dahabi says that he was addicted to drinking and frivolous amusement, and used to ride a brisk-going donkey, and did not uphold the withal he was eloquent, with a great com- dignity of the Caliphate ; yet mand of language, well educated, an aspect of awe encompassed him and he possessed intrepidity and hardiness. Another author describes him as a

despot, and as being the first before whom men marched with sharp scimitars and staves and strung bows. His prefects imitated him in this and the wearing of arms prevailed much in his time. He died in Eabii' u'l Awwal* in the year 170, (15th Sept. 786). Accounts are conflicting regarding the manner of his death. Some say

• The text taa " Akhir." Tlxis is an error protally of the copyist as in the life of ar Bashid, as Suyiti places al Hddi's death in Eabii' I, All other authorities [ 287 T that he pushed one of his courtiers over a precipitous bank upon the A. H. 170/ stumps of a reed bed that had been cut, but the courtier clung to him and A. D. 786. he fell and a reed entered his nostril and they were both kiUed. It is said too that he had an ulcer in his stomach. Another account is, that his mother al Khayzurdn poisoned him, when he sought to murder ar Kashid in order to confer the succession on his own son.

It is said that his mother was an imperious woman, assuming absolute direction of afiairs of state. A line of persons attended at her gate every morning, but he forbade them doing so, and addressed her in rough language, and said,* " verily, if there attendeth a noble at thy gate, I will assuredly strike off his head—but as for thee, hast thou not a spindle to employ thee, or a Kuran, or beads to engage thee in devotion ?" And she ' arose beside herself with anger, and it is reported that he sent her poisoned food, but she caused some of it to be given to a dog which was immediately affiectedt by it. She therefore conspired to put him to death when he was prostrate with fever and they smothered him with the bed covering and sat upon its sides. He left seven sons.

Of the verses of al Hddi, are the following on his brother Hdriin when he refused to renounce the succession.

I counselled Hariin, but he rejected my counsel.

And every man that taketh not advice, repenteth ; I invite him to a deed that will restore harmony between us,

But he turneth from it, and in that he doth wrong. And were it not for my expectation of his consent from day to day He should do what I say under compulsion.

Among the events of al Hadi's reign, it is recorded by Al Khatib on the authority of al Padhl that al Hadi was wroth with a man, and they interceded for him with the Caliph, upon which he was pacified towards him, and the man went to make his excuses, and al Hadi said to him, " my approval exempts thee from the pain of apology." And on the authority of Musaa'b, that Marwan-b-Abi Hafjah went in unto al Hadi

concur in the mouth teing Eahii' I, except Tabari, who says Jumada I, and a Makin, Eahii' II, hut this latter is a mere slip of the pen, as he himself states the duration of al Hadi's reign te be one year and 52 days, which fits in with 14th Eabii' I. Weil fixes the date at the 16th Eabii' I. See Gesh, der. Cal.

* This speech is not accurately given by as Suydti and is marred in the telling. Ibn u'l Athir and Masau'di concur in their narratives of it. The verb J^J^I t has not this meaning in the Lexicons, but it is plain that ^i " this IS the sense mtended which would be usually expressed by^" —

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A. H. 170. and recited to him a panegyric on him, until he came to the following verse, A. D. 786. ujg bounty and intrepidity are to-day so evenly balanced That no one knows with which the superiority lies. Al Hadi said to him, " which dost thou prefer, thirty thousand dirhams down, or one hundred thousand paid through the accountant's office ?" He replied " give the thirty thousands dirhams down and let the hundred thousand come round to me through the office." Al Hadi said " nay, both shall be paid down together," and the sum was taken to him.

As S'lili observes that no woman is known to have given birth to two Caliphs, except al Khnzayran, the mother of al Hadi and ar Eashid, and Wiladah, daughter of al Abbas, of the tribe of A'bs,* wife of A'bdu'l

Malik-b-Marwan, who bore al Walid and Sulayman ; and Shahint daughter of Firliz son of Tazdajird, son of Khusrau, who bore to al Walid-b- A'bdi'l Malik, Tazid an Nakis and Ibrahim, both of whom succeeded to the Caliphate. I remark that there may be added to these, Bai Khatlin, the concubine of the last al Mutawakkil who gave birth to al A'bbas and

Hamzah who both ruled the Caliphate ; and Kazl a concubine of the same who bore Dauud and Sulayman who governed it likewise.

As Slili also says that no Caliph was ever known to ride post, except al

Hadi wAo ro

The following, according to as Siili is by Salm al Khasir eulogising

al Hadi. Mdsa is a rain—a cloud that riseth early,—and is then discharged—he appropriates power to himself—how hath he forcibly seized—and waxed strong ! —and then pardoned ! —just in disposition'—of enduring tb- coYin—for good and evil—weal and woe—the best of mortals—of the race

of Mudhar—a moon that is ' at full—unto him who beholdeth—He is the refuge—of them that are nigh—and the glory—of those that remain. As Sdli says, " this detached verse—is of the! measure Musta'filun

Musta'filun ;§ he was the first to employ it and I have never heard poetry of this detached character by any one else."

* There are two of this name ; one a branch of the Kaya A'yldn, the eponymous head of which was A'bs-b-Baghidh-b.Eayth, and the other of the Banu Kudljaa'h sprung from A'bs-b-Khaulan. Muntaha'l Arab. t See page 257. The name there given is " Shahfarand." X This took place when the death of his father was announced to him and he accomplished the distance according to Ibn u'l Athir, in twenty days.

§ A variety of the Eajaz, dimeter acataieotio, the third epitrite *-' — varied by the diiamb ^ '-'

O carminum | dulces notas,

Quaa ore fun i dia melloo. —

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He .traces an ascription to Sa'id-b-Salm who is reported to have said, A. H. 170. " verily I trust that the Lord will be merciful unto al Hadi on account A. D. 786. of an act of his which I witnessed. I was present with hitn one day when Abu'l Khitab, as Saa'di was reciting a poem to him in his praise continuing till he came to,

" ' best of those whose hands tie the waist band, O best of those whom the face of Mudhar hath invested with their authority.' "

" Al Hadi said to him, have a care ! whom dost tliOii mean ? Shame on thee !" For he excepted no one in his verse ; whereupon I exclaimed, "O prince of the Faithful, surely, he means of the people of this age."

The poet then reflected and said,

" Save the prophet, the Apostle of God* to whom Belongeth preeminence and thou, in that preeminence, doth glory."

Al HMi said, "now thou hast hit it and hast done well," and he ordered fifty thousand dirhams to be given to him. Al Madaini says, that al Hadi condoled with a man on account of the loss oi his son, and said, "he made thee glad when he was to thee a temptationf and an evil, and now grieveth thee when he hath become unto thee a reward and a mercy !" As Slili narrates that Salm al Kh5,sir recited on al Hadi the following verse coupling condolence and congratulation.

" Verily Musa hath assumed the Caliphate and guidance unto salvation,

And Muhammad {al Mahdi) prince of the Faithful, is dead. He is dead whose loss the people suffer in common

And he hath arisen who will suffice thee for him who is gone."

And Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah says similarly

" Verily there pride themselves in every city On account of the grave of the prince of the Faithful, the ceme-

teries. /

* Wto -was eigMeenth in direct descent from Mudhar-b-Mzar-h-Maa'd-b-Adnan ; the generations between Adnan and labmael are uncertain, some enumerating eigbt, others (and among these, Muhammad himself) counting no more than three. See Sale's Genealogical Tables.

t This is said with reference to Kur. VIII, " Know that your wealth and your

"^^ \y'\ '*J| children are a temptation to you" (^iJ^jl j ^^J 1^1*1 j and it is men-

tioned in a tradition that the death of a child is the occasion of a storing of reward unto the father, 37 —

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A. H. 170. And had they not been consoled in his son after his death, A. D. 786. Never would the pulpits have ceased to weep over him. And if Miisa had not arisen upon them, they would have wailed With a yearning cry, as the tribes yearn for the best portions of plunder."

Traditions from the narration of al Sddi.

As Sdli narrates from al Mutallib-b-U'ikashah al Marri that he said, " we went to al Hadi as evidence against a man who had reviled one of the Kuraysh and passed on even to the disparagement of the prophet whereupon he convened an assembly for us, to which he summoned the jurisconsults of his time, the brought into his chief and had man presence ; and we gave evidence against him. The countenance of al Hadi changed,

and he hung down his head, and then raised it, and said, ' I heard my father al Mahdi relate on the authority of Ibn A'bbas, that he said—he who desireth to put scorn upon the !^uraysh, may the Lord put scorn upon him, and thou, O enemy of God, wert thou not satisfied in desiring that for the Kuraysh but thou must pass on to disparage the prophet ? Strike off his :" head (recorded by al Khatib from the ascription of as Siili) : and the tradition in this narration stops thus with Ibn Ahhds, but one with aiiother ascription traced to the prophet, hath also come down. Of people of note who died in the reign of al Hadi were, Nafi', Kuran reader of the people of Medina and others.

HAEITN U'E RASHrD.

Ar Eashid Harlin, Abli Jaa'far-b-u'l Mahdi Muhammad-b-il Mansur A'bdi'Uah-b-Muhammad-b-A'Ii-b-A'bdi'llah-b-i'l A'bbas succeeded as Ca- liph by the covenant of his father on the death of his brother al Hadi on Friday night the 16th Rabii' I, in the year 170. As Suli mentions that that on this night al Mamdn was born to him, and in the whole coarse of time there has never been a night but this, in which a Caliph died, a Caliph succeeded, and a Caliph was born. He used to be called Abii Musa but took henceforth the surname of Abd Jaa'far. He related traditions on the authority of his father and grandfather and Mubarak b-Fudhdlah, and his son al Mamiin and others have related them on his. He was one of the most distinguished of Caliphs and most illustrious of the princea : —

[ a9i ]

A. 170. of the earth. He undertook many military expeditions as well as pil- H. grimages, as Abu'l A'la al Kilabi has said concerning him A. D. 786.

" He who seeketh or desireth to meet thee Will finA thee either in the two sacred cities or on the most distant frontier. If in the country of the enemy, it will be on a high-mettled charger, If in the land of the desert, on a camel's saddle."

His birth took place at Eai when his father was Prefect over it and over Khurasan in the year 148. His mother was a slave concubine called Khuzayran who was also the mother of al Hadi, and Marwan-b-Abi Haf§ah* has said regarding her

" Khuzayran, rejoice thee and again rejoice ! Tor thy two sons have come to rule the universe."

Ar Eashid was very fair, tall, handsome, of captivating appearance, and eloquent. He was versed in science and literature. During his Ca- liphate, he used to pray every day a hundred " rakaa'ts," until he died, never neglecting them save for some special cause, and he used to give in charity from his private purse every day a hundred dirhams.

He loved science and its professors, and held in reverence the sacred shrines of Isldm and abhorred disputation in religion and controversy on established points pf doctrine. The opinion of Bishr al Marrisif on the creation of the Kuran was reported to him, and he exclaimed—" if I catch him, I will strike off his head." He used to weep over his own extravagance and his sins, especially when an exhortation was addressed to him. He loved panegyric and would bestow large sums in reward for it. There are likewise verses attributed to him. On one occasion Ibn u's SammafcJ the preacher went in unto him and

* He was descended from Atu Hafsah Yazid, according to some a Jewisli convert, according to others one of the captives taken at Istathar. He was purchased by Othman, given to Marwau-h-al Hatam who married him to one of his own concuhines by whom he had had a daughter called Hafsah. This girl was brought up by Yazid as his own and he received the surname of " father of Hafsab " Marwan, the subject of this notice, was extremely avaricious and asked 1000 dirhams for every verse he wrote in praise of the Abbaside Caliphs. De Sacy Chrest. Arab. Tom. Ill, p. 518. t Abu A'bdu'r Eahman Bishr-b-Grhidth al Marrisi a theologian and jurisconsult of the school of Hanifah. He taught openly the creation of the Kuran and he belonged to the sect of the Murgians which is called after him the Marrisian, and he held that it was not an act of infidelity to bow down to the sun and moon but only a tolten of it. He died at- Baghdad A. H. 218, (833-4). Ibn Khali. De Slane writes incorrectly " Marisi" for Marrisi."

J Abu'l Abbas Muljammad-b-Sabih surnamed al Ma^kur (or as Ibn u'l Athir says —

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A. H. 170. he exerted himself to the utmost to do him honor, and Ibn u's Sammak

A. D. 786. said to him—" thy humility in thy greatness is nobler than thy greatness :" then he addressed him an exhortation and made him weep. He was also in the habit of going in person to the house of al Fudhayl-b-I'yadh. * A'bdu'r Bazzak says, " I was with al Fudhayl at Mecca when Hardn

• passed by and al Fudhayl said, " the people dislike this man, but there is not on earth any more esteemed by me than he—were he to die, thou wouldst surely behold most serious events occur." Abu Mu'awiyah ad Dharirf says, " I never mentioned the prophet

before ar Eashld, but he said, ' may God bless my lord ;' and I related to him this tradition of his, ' I would that I might do battle for the sake of God and be slain, and be brought to life and slain again,' and Harun wept

' until he sobbed aloud ; and I once related to him the tradition, Adam and Moses entered into a disputation,' and there was by him one of the chiefs of the Kuraysh, and the Kurayshi said,—but where did he meet him ?—At this ar Bashid grew wroth and exclaimed—^the leather mat

!' and the sword ! —shall a Zindik impugn a tradition of the prophet But I continued to pacify him and to say, ' O prince of the Faithful, it came from him unpremeditatedly,' until he was appeased. I was once taking a meal with ar Bashid, when a man whom I did not perceive poured

water upon my hand, and ar Bashid said, ' dost thou know who is pouring

water upon thee ?' I said, ' no.' He replied, ' it is I, out of reverence for " thy knowledge.' Mansur-b-A'mmar J says "I never saw any more copious in tears when engaged in devotional exercises than three men, al Fudhayl- b-I'yadh, ar Bashid, and another."

TJ'baydu'llah al Kawariri narrates that when ar Bashfd met al Fudhayl,

al Mudakkar) and known as Ibn u's Sammak, (son of the seller or catclier of fish). He was a native of Kdfah. and a professional narrator of anecdotes. His devotion, his pious exhortations and the elegance of his language acquired hini great celebrity. He died at Kufah, A, H. 183 (799-80). Ibn KhaU.

» Abu A'li al Fudhayl-b-I'yadh a celebrated ascetic. Drew his origin from a family of the tribe of Tamim which had settled at Talakan in Khurasan. Ho was bom at Abiward or Samarkand, passed his youth at Abiward and then went to learn traditions at Kufah, from thence he removed to Mecca where he dwelt tell his death in 187 A. H. (803). It is said that his commenced life as a highway robber and was converted by hearing a sentence of the ]§luran pronounced, when he was about to climb a wall to see a girl whom he loved. Ibn KhaU. t Abd Mu'awiyah Muhammad-b-Khazim, ad Dhan'r (the blind) adopted member of the tribe of Minkar, born at Kufah A. H. 113. He was a traditionist of eminence, died A. H. 195 (811). De Slane, I. K. % A native of Khui'as&n (or of Ba?rah as some say) celebrated for his wisdom piety and eloquence as a preacher. Ho also deUverod traditions. Ho resided at Cairo and died A, H, 226 (839-40). Do Hlaue, I. K, [ 293 ]

" the latter said to him, thou with the handsome face ! art thou he who A. H. 170. is answerahle lefore Qod for this people ? IJayth related to me on the A. D. 786. authority of al Mujdhid, that the verse ' and the cords of relation between them shall be cut asunder,' (Kur. II) signifieth the connection that was between them in the world, and Harlin began to weep and sob."* As an instance of his good qualities, it is said that when the news of the death of Ibn u'l Mubarakf reached him, he gave an audience of condolence and commanded his nobles to condole with him on the loss of Ibn u'l Mubarak. Niftawayh says that ar Eashid followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Abu Jaa'far save in covetousness, for no Caliph before him, had been as munificent as he. He bestowed on one occasion on Sufyan-b- TJ'yaynahJ one hundred thousand dirhams, and on another, two hundred thousand on Ishdk§ of Mosul, and he gave Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah for a poem, five thousand dinars, a robe of honor, a horse from his own stud and ten Greek slaves.

Al Asma'i narrates, " ar Eashid said to me, ' Asma'i, what hath made thee neglect me and keep aloof from me ?' I replied, ' by Allah, prince of the Faithful, the provinces, after thee could not attach me to them, until I came to thee.' And he was silent but, when the people dispersed he said 'what means could not attach me,' (alakatni).|| I said,

' Of thy two hands, one keepeth not within it a dirham Through munificence, while the other sheddeth blood with a sword.'

* This story ia related differently and protaWy more correctly in Ibn Khali. t Abu Abdu'r Eahman Abdu'Uah al Marwazi, a Mawla to the tribe of Handha- lah, a man of profound learning and of mortified life. He loved retirement and was extremely assiduous in the practice of ascetic devotion. He died at Hit on the Eupbrates on his return from a military expedition in A. H. 181 (797). Tbe nauseous details of his funeral are given by Masa'udi. Ibn KbaU. J He was an imam of learning and piety and distinguished for the exactitude of his traditions. His parents lived at Klifab where be was born A. H. 107. He made the pilgrimage seventy times. He died at Mecca, A. H. 198 (814). Ibn KbaU. In the text for ***** read *^i*

§ Abu Muhammad Isbtt known by the name of Ibn u'n Nadim al MausUi (son of the boon companion from Mosul) a member' by adoption of the tribe of Tamun and bom al Arrajan. He was a constant companion of the Caliphs in their parties of pleasure : he was well versed in pure Arabic and tbe history of the poets, in jurisprudence and tradition, and as a singer was without a rival. Born A. H. 150, died 235 (A. D. 850). Ibn Khali.

The verb ilakat to bind self II means to one's or to put raw silk into an inkstand as is the oriental custom, to prevent the reed-pen being overcharged with ink. Al Asm'ai who had a marvellous command of the Arabic language and knowledge of the poets and their works, purposely used an uncommon word to attract the attention of —

[ 294 1

' be thus honor us in A. H. 170. He replied, thou hast said well and continue to ; A. D. 786. public and instruct us in private,' and he ordered for me five thousand dinars." In the Murdju'd Dahab (Meadows of goli) of Mas'audi, the author says that ar Eashid desired to unite the Mediterranean and the Red Sea at a point adjacent to Farama,* but Yahya-b- Eashid the Barmecide said to him that the Greeks would carry off the people from the sacred mosque

(at Mecca) and that their ships would come up to al Hijaz ; he therefore

abandoned it. Al Jahidhf observes that there were assembled round ar Eashid such a company as were never united under any other Caliph, to wit, his ministers the Barmecides, his Kadhi Abu Yusuf, his-poet Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah, his boon companion al A'bbas-b-Muhammad the paternal uncle of his father, his chamberlain al Fadhl-b-u'r Eabii' one of the most celebrated and remarkable of men, his musician Ibrahim of Mosul, and his wife

Zubaydah. Another author says that all the days of ar Eashid were as happy

in their joyousness as if they had been marriage-feasts, and ad Dahabi states that a narrative of the adventures of ar Eashid would extend to great length and his good actions are numerous. There are accounts of him also in his diversions, forbidden pleasures and musical entertainments, may God exalt him. Of people of note who died in his reign were Malik-b-Anas, al Layth- b-Saa'd, Abu Yusuf the disciple of Abu Hanifah, al Kasim-b-Maa'n, Muslim-b-Khalid al Zanji, Niih al Jami', the Hafidh Abu U'wanah al Yeshkuri, Ibrahim-b-Saa'd az Zuhri, Abu Ishak al Fazari, Ibrahim-b-Abi Yahya the master of as Shafi'i, Asad al Klifi one of the most eminent of the disciples of Abd Hanifah, Ismail-b-A'yyash, Bashir-b-u'l Mufadhdhal, Jarir-b-Abdi'l Hamid, Ziyad al Bakkai, Sulaym the Kuran reader, the disciple of Hamzah,J Sibawayh the great master of Arabic, Dhaygham

Haron, and then illustrated it by a verse which instructed the Caliph in its meaning as well as in the needs of the speaker. The Arabic verse in the printed edition is

inoorreot. The word <-^l« should be pointed i^"" and the second hemistich should

begin, with the word 1 1>>^ which has been omitted, but which is in the MS. Th^ metre is Bajaz. * Near what is now el Arish on the Mediterranean ; the town, of Farama has dis- appeared and no trace of it remains. See Yakut for its history. + Abu Othmin Amr-b-Bakr known as al Jihidlj (the starer) and al Hadaki (the goggle-eyed) on account of the prominence of his eyes. He was a native of Ba?rah, celebrated for his learning and author of numerous works on every branch of science.

One of his best works is the Book on Animals. Numerous anecdotes are told of him by Ibn KhaU whom the reader may consult. He died at Bajrah A. H, 255 at the age of ninety.

t Probably IJamzah-b-^abib az Zayyat one of the seven readers of the ^uran and maslor of al Kisai, diod at IJulw&n A. H 166 (772-3). Ibn KhaU. [ 295 ]

the ascetic, A'bdu'llah al U'mari the ascetic, A'bdu'Uah-b-u'l Mubarak, A, H. 170. A'bdu'Uah-b-Idris ad Kiifi, A'bdu'l A'ziz-b-Abi Hazim, ad Darawardi, al A. D. 786. Kisdi master of the Kuran readers and grammarians and Muhammad-b-u'l

Hasan the disciple of Abti Hanifah both on the same day ; A'li-b-Mushir, Ghunjar, fsa-b-Yunas as Sabii'i, al Fudhayl-b-I'yadh, Ibn u's Sammak the preacher, Marwdn-b-Abi Hafsah the poet, al Mu'dfa-b-I'mran al Mawsili, Mua'tamir*-b-Sulayman, al Mufadhdhal-b-FudMlah Kadhi of old Cairo, Musa al Kadhim (the forbearing), Musa-b-Eabii'h Abu'l Hakam al Misri one of the saints, an Nua'man-b-A'bdi's Salam al Isbahani, Hushaym, Yahyaf-b-Abi Zaidah, Yazid-b-Zuray', Yunas-b-Habib the grammarian, Yakdb-b-A'bdi'r Eahraan, the Kurdn reader of Medina, Sa'saa'h-b-ti's Sallam, the learned doctor of Spain, one of the disciples of Malik, Abdur Eahman-b-u'l Kasim the most eminent of the disciples of Malik al A'bbas-b-u'l Ahnaf, the famous poet, Abu Bakr-b-A'yydsh, the K!uran reader, Yusuf-b-u'l Majishun and others. The following are among the events of his reign. In the year 175 A'bdu'Uah-b-Musaa'b az Zubayri falsely accused Yahya-b-A'bdi'llah-b- Hasan, the descendant of A'li of having invited him to rebel with him against ar Eashid, whereupon Yahya imprecated with him the curse of God upon which ever of them spoke falsely, in the presence of ar Eashid and locked his hand in the hand of the other, and exclaimed, " say—O God, if thou knowest that Yahya did not invite me to oppose and rebel against the prince of the Faithful here, then commit me to my own power and strength, and utterly destroy me by a chastisement from thee. Amen. Lord of created things." Az Zubayri stammered hesitatingly but repeated it, and Yahya did the like, and they arose and departed and az Zubayri died the same day. In the year 176 the city of DubsahJ was captured by the Amir A'bdu'r Eahman-b-A'bdi'l Malik-b-Salih al A'bbasi. In the year 179 ar Eashid performed the lesser pilgrimage in the month of Eamadhan and remained in the state of Ihram§ until he made the greater pilgrimage and went on foot to A'rafah from Mecca.

In the year 180 occurred the great earthquake in which the top of the minaret at Alexandria fell. In the year 181, the fort of Saf§af || was

* " Mua'mmar" according to Ibn u'l Athir. tS***-'' W^/^ y^ ej'i'^ {^yij*** t "Zakariya." Ibn u'l Athir. Ibn u'l AtMr bas Dalsah or Dulsa, for the X word is not pointed, but Dulsah is stated in a note to be a variant. I cannot find the name on the map. He places this event in the year 190.

{ I. e. abstaining from all acts which axe unlawful at that season. On the frontier II of Syria between Antiooh and the Grecian territory. ::

[ 296 ]

A. H. 180. captured by force of arms, the captor being ar Eashid. In the year 183 A. D. 796. the Khazars* burst upon Armenia and fell upon the true believers and piade great slaughter and carried away captive more than a hundred thousand souls. Thus a grievous calamity fell upon Islam, the like of vrhich had not been heard of before. In the year 187, there came a letter to ar Eashid from Nicephorusf the Roman Emperor breaking the truce which had been established between the Muslims and Irene Empress of Eome. The letter ran as follows " From Nicephorus, the Eoman Emperor, to Harun, sovereign of the Arabs After preliminaries—verily the Empress who preceded me gave thee the rank of a rook and put herself in that of a pawn, and conveyed to thee many loads of her wealth, and this through the weakness of women and their folly. Now when thou hast read this letter of mine, return what thou hast received of her substance, otherwise the sword shall decide between me and thee." When ar Eashid read the letter, he was so inflamed with rage, that no one durst look upon his face, much less speak to him, and his courtiers dispersed from fear, and his ministers speechless forbore from counsel. Then ar Eashid sent for an inkhorn and wrote upon the back of the letter. " In the name of God, the most Compassionate the most Merciful, from Hartin the prince of the faithful to Nicephorus the Eoman dog. Verily I have read thy letter, son of an unbelieving mother, and the answer thou shalt behold and not hear." Thereupon he set out the same day and did not stay until- he reached Heraclea, and there took place a famous battle and a manifest victory, and Nicephorus implored peace and engaged to pay a tribute which he would transmit to him every year and it was accepted. But when ar Eashid returned to ar Eakkah, the dog violated the engagement, deeming impossible the return of ar Eashid in the winter, and no one durst tell ar Eashid of the violation, but A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Yusuf at Tamimi versified, saying,

" Nicephorus hath violated what thou didst concede to him, Therefore around him* the circle of destruction shall revolve. Give the good news to the prince of the Faithful, Verily he is a spoil that the great God hath vouchsafed thee." And Abu'l— A'tahiyah made some verses which were shown to ar Eashid, and he said " indeed hath he done so ?" He therefore set out on his

* A Turkieh. tribe north, of Derbend, their eponymous ancestor being Khazar the son of Japhet, the sou of Noah—for a particular account of them, consult Yakdt. The cause of their irruption was the death of the Khiikiins daughter whom the Barmecide Fadhl-b-Yahya had wooed. The Khdkdn had been informed that the Muslims had put her to death. According to another account the murder of the Khalfto himself by an Arab provoked the calamity. See Weil, Vol. Y, p. 168. t The printed edition has j;*^ for Jj^ [ 297 ]

return march in the face of tbe greatest hardships until he caused his camel A. TI. 180. i). 79o. to kneel in the Emperor's courtyard, and continued until he attained his A-

purpose and accomplished the object of his holy war : and concerning this, Abu'l A'tahiyah says,

Now hath Heraclea perished in war

At the hand of the king who is guided to success. Harun hastened thundering with death, And lightening with bright cutting swords ; And his standards upon which victory alights Speed by as though they were broken masses of cloud.

In the year 189 he ransomed his people in captivity with the Romans, so that there did not remain a single Muslim captive in their territories. In the year 190 he took Heraclea and spread his troops over the Roman territories. ShurahiUb-Maa'n-b-Zaidah captured the fortress as Sakdliyah, and Yazid-b-Makhlad,* Malakuniyah.f Humayd-b-Ma'yuf set out against

Cyprus, and devastated and wasted it by fire and carried away into captivity sixteen thousand of its people. In the year 192 ar Rashid marched towards Khurasdn, and Muham- mad-b u's Sabah at Tabari mentions that his father accompanied ar Rashid to an Nahrawan, and he used to enter into conversation with him on the road, until he said one day, " §abah I do not think that thou wilt see me again after this," J I replied, " nay —may the Lord bring thee back in safety." He continued, " I do not think thou knowest what I have." I answered, " no—by Allah." Ar Rashid said " come till I show thee," and he left the road and signed to his attendants who retired. Then he said " the faithfulness of God, Sabah, he thy oath, that thou keep it secret concern-

ing me," and he uncovered his stomach, when lo ! there was silken bandage round about his stomach, and he said, " I have concealed this disease from

all men, for each one of my sons hath a spy upon me ; Masrur is the spy

of al Mamiin, and Gabriel the son of Bakhtishuu' § is the spy of al Amin, and I have forgotten the third. There is not one of them but counts my breathings, and reckons my days and finds my life too long, and if thou wishest to know this, I will at once send for a horse and they will bring me one very lean in order to increase my malady hy its roughness." And he sent for a horse and they brought one such as he described, and he

* Read *ii* for o.J.i'' + The printed edition has erroneouly al i^uniyah. Malakuniyah is stated by Yakut to be near Iconium. According to Theophanes, the Arabs took Thebasa (Dub-

sah or Dalsah ?) Malacopsea, Sideropolia, and Andrasua. Neither Yaktit nor Weil fix' the position of aa Sakaliyah. See Weil's notice of these names, Xom. II, p. 160. % The narrative hero passes from the third to the first person with the usual JU,

§ His physician. 88 —

[ 298 ]

A. H. 192. glanced at me and then mounted and bid me farewell, and set out for A. D. 807. Jurjan. Shortly after he left it in the month of Safar of the year 193, while stiU suffering, for Tus, and continued there till he died. Ar Eashid had covenanted for the succession of his son Muhammad in the year 175 on account of his mother Zubaydah's great eagerness for it and surnamed him al Amin, he being at the time five years of age. Ad

Dahabi says that this was the first unsettlement that came upon the Mus- lim state as regards the Imamate. He afterwards covenanted for his son A'bdu'llah after al Amin in the year 182 and surnamed him al Mamiin and bestowed on him the government of all the provinces of Khurasan. Next he covenanted for the succession of his son al Kdsim after his two brothers, in the year 186 and surnamed him al Miitamin, and made him governor of Mesopotamia and the frontiers while he was yet a child. When he had

thus partitioned the world among these three, it was observed by one of the learned, that he had thrown among them what would be their injury,

and that the evil of it would work mischief to his people. The poets recited congratulatory poems on the covenant of allegiance, and he afterwards suspended copies of the covenant in the temple of Mecca, and regarding this Ibrahim of Mosul and said

" The best of affairs in their issue,

' The most just of ordinances in their completion. Is a deed, the decrees of which hath promulgated The most Merciful in the Sacred Temple."

And A'bdu'l Malik-b-Salih says :*

" The love of the Caliph is a love to which submit themselves not The sinner against God, and the schismatic who promoteth discord. God invested Harlin with this jurisdiction When He chose him. He verified our faith and our laws. And Harun through this benignity unto us, hath given jurisdiction over the earth Unto al Amin, al Mdmtin, and al Mutamin."

It has been stated by some authorities that ar Eashid withheld the Caliphate from his son al Mua'tasim on account of his being illiterate, but the Lord caused it to come to him and made all the Caliphs succeeding him, to be of his descendants, and did not establish a Caliph from among sons of ar Eashid, save of his stock.

* AM A'bdu'r Eahman A'bdu'l Malik-b-SaUlj-'b-A'li-b-A'bdi'lIah-'b-i'l A'bbSs- b-A'bdi'l Muttalib. He was the most elegant speaker of all the surviving descendants al of of A'bb&B. The town Manbij which he held as appanage, was his place of rcsi- donoe. He died at Eakkah A. H. 193. Ibn Khali, [ 299 ]

Salm al Khasir says regarding the covenant in favour of al Amin— A. H. 193. " A.D.808-9. Say to the dwellings on the vrhite sand-hills , Watered by the morning rain-clouds, Verily men and spirits have sworn allegiance to the guide unto salvation Unto Muhammad, the son of Zubaydah, daughter of Jaa'far.* Verily God prospered the Caliphate, when he built The House of Vicegerency, for the nobly born, the illustrious, For he is the Caliph through his sire and grandsire Who bear testimony unto him by evidence of sight and report." Upon this Zubaydah stuffed his mouth with jewels which he sold for twenty thousand dinars. (£10,000.)

Some particulars of the life of or BasMd.

As Silafi records in the Tuyytiriyat with ascription to Ibn u'l Muba- rak, that when ar Rashid succeeded to the Caliphate, one of the slave girls of al Mahdi made an impression on him and he sought her hand, but she said, " I am not lawful unto thee, since thy father used to visit me." But he grew violently enamoured of her and sent to Abti Yusuf,t and asked o£ him, sajfing, " hast thou any remedy for this case ?" He replied, " O prince of the Faithful—what ! is a slave girl to be believed whenever she makes an assertion ? do not credit her—for verily she is not to be trusted." Ibn u'l Mubarak observes on this " I know not at whom I should most wonder in this affair—whether at this man who steeped his hands in the blood of the Muslims and seized their goods, or at this slave girl who of her own accord shrunk from the prince of the Faithful, or at this jurisconsult and judge of the earth who said, 'violate the honour of thy father and gratify thy lust and put it upon my shoulders ?" As Silafi records also on the authority of A'bdu'Uah-b-Yusuf that ar Eashid said to Abli Tusuf, " I have bought a slave and wish to take her at once before the legal period of abstention be passed—hast thou a device to offer ?" He

• Son of the Caliph al Mansdr. t The Kadhi Ahli Yusuf Yakub al An?ari. He was a native of Kufah and one of Abu Hanifah's disciples, a legist, a learned scholar and a Hafidh. While at Bagh- dad, he acted as !^adhi to al Mahdi, al Hadi and Harun by the latter of whom he was treated with great honor and respect. He was the first who bore the title of Kadhi u'l Kudhat (or Chief Justice) and it is said that he was the first who changed the dress of the ulema (learned) and gave it the form which it retains to this day. The anecdotes told of him by Ibn Khali are numerous. He was bom 113 A. H, and died at Bagh- dad A. H. 182 (798) holding the Kadhiship till his death. —

[ 300 ]

A. H. 193. replied, " Yes—give her to one of thy sons and then marry her."* And A.D.808-9. from Ishak-h-Eahwayh that ar Eashid sent for Abd Yusuf one night, who gave him his judgment on the case reguired. Ar Rashid then ordered one hundred thousand dirhams (£2,500) to be given to him. " Abd Yusuf order it to be exclaimed if the prince of the Faithful sees good, he will " given at once before morning." Ar Rashid said to Ms attendants, bring " his it immediately ;" but one of his suite exclaimed the Treasurer is at house and the doors of the Treaswry are locked." Abii Yusuf retorted " verily the doors were locked when he sent for me." They were therefore opened and the money given.

As Siili records with ascription to Ya'kub-b-Jaa'far, that ar Eashid set out in the year in which he assumed the Caliphate, in order to ravage the outlying Eoman provinces and returned in Shaa'bdn and performed the pilgrimage with the people at the close of the year, and distributed great sums among the Sacred Cities. He had previously seen the prophet in a dream who had said to him, " this authority will come to thee during

this month ; make war therefore and perform the pilgrimage and give largely to the people of the Sacred Cities:" all of which he carried out. And from Mu'awiyah-b-Salih on the authority of his father, that the first verse composed by ar Rashid was when he made the pilgrimage in the

year of his accession to the Caliphate ; he entered a house and lo ! at the

head of a chamber in it was a line of a verse written upon the wall.

" Now, O prince of the Faithful, dost thou not see (I ransom thee) that separation from a friend is a momentous thing ?"

"Whereupon he sent for an inkhorn and wrote beneath it with his own band " Yes ; and the camels marked for sacrifice, and what moves In Mecca wearied, at a hurried pace." And from Said-b-Muslim that the understanding of ar Rashid was as the understanding of the learned. An Nu'mdni versified to him in describing a horse,

" As if his two ears when he raises his head Were the first feather of a wing or an obliquely-nibbed pen."

Ar Rashid said " omit lyli' (as if) and say " thou wouldest think his two ears." So that the verse may run smoothly.f And from A'bdu'llah-b-u'l A'bbas-b-i'l Fadhl-b-i'r Rabii' that ar Rashid swore that he would not approach a female slave of his for a certain number of days, and he was much attached to her. And when the period

* This legal period of abstention not being required in cases of marriage.

t The Caliph's emendation does not touch the scansion which is the sam« with cither word. The metre is Rajaz. " :

[ 301 ] had elapsed, she did not seek to make him reconciled to her, whereupon he -A-. H. 193. said, A.D. 808-9.

" *He shunned me when he saw me infatuated

And prolonged his patience, when he discovered it. He was my slave and hath now become my master Verily this is among the wonders of the age."

Then he sent for Abd'l A'tahiyah and said " Cap these lines" who said, " The potency of love hath disclosed to him my humiliation In my love for him, and he hath a comely face And through the one I have become his slave And through the other hath appeared and become manifest what I feel."

Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Ibn U'layyah that ar Rashid seized a Zindik, and gave orders that his head should be struck off, and the Zindik said, " why dost thou strike ofE my head ?" He replied " I shall free the people from thee." He replied "and where art thou against the thousand traditions which I have falsely ascribed to the Apostle of God, not one word of which he spoke ?" Ar Eashld answeved, " and where art thou, enemy of God, before Abii Ishak al Fazari, and A'bdu'llah-b-u'l Mubarak who can sift and eject them letter by letter ?" As Siili records on the authority of Ishak al Ha^himi that he said, " we were with ar Rashid when he exclaimed, ' I hear that the people suspect me of hatred towards A'li-b-Abi Talib, whereas, by Allah I love no one with the love I bear to him, but these people are the most violent in bating and reviling us, and in attempting to excite discord in our kingdom, notwithstanding that we have taken their blood-revenge, and shared with them what we possess, so that they are more favourably inclined to the children of Umayyah than towards us. But as to the descendants of his loins, they are indeed the chiefs of the people and the first in merit, and verily my father al Mahdi related to me on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he heard the prophet say regarding al Hasan and al Husayn—whoso loveth those two, verily loveth me, and whoso hateth those two, verily he hateth me ;—and he likewise heard him say—Fatimah is the chief of the women of the universe, save Miriam the daughter of I'mranf and Asyah daughter of Muzahim.'

* This mode of appealing to a mistress under tlie mark of an address to one of the other sex is common in oriental poetry. It is from a jealousy of making public the circumstances of life, or the attractions of those whom Eastern custom rigidly ex- cludes from the gaze of men. According to De Slane this is still carried so far in Cairo that pubHo singers dare not amuse their auditors with a song in which the beloved indicated is a female. t This is the name given in the Kurau to the father of the Blessed Virgin. (Kur, [ 302 ]

A. H. 193. It is related that Ibn u's Samtnak went in unto ar Eashid who called A. D. 808-9. for water to drink, and a goglet was brought to him, and when he took hold " if of it, Ibn u's Sammak said gently ! O prince of the Faithful ! thou wert forbidden this draught, at how much would'st thou purchase it ?" He answered " with the half of my kingdom." The other said—" drink, may the Lord make it wholesome to thee." And when he had drunk, Ibn u's Sammak said, " I ask of thee, if its emission from thy body were forbidden thee, at how much would'st thou purchase its emission ?" He replied " with the whole of my kingdom." He continued " verily a kingdom whose price is a draught of water and its emission, is not worth contending for." And Harun wept bitterly. Ibn u'l Jauzi relates that ar Eashid said to Shayban, " give me an admonition." He replied, " that thou shouldst consort with one who will terrify thee until security cometh upon thee, is better than that thou shouldst consort with one who will inspire thee with a feeling of security until fear cometh upon thee." Ar Eashid said, " explain this to me." He

replied, " he who saith to thee, ' thou art answerable for thy people,' is a better counsellor unto thee than one who saith—ye people of the prophetical house—yoursins are forgiven ye— for ye are the kinsfolk of your prophet." And ar Eashid wept until those who were around him had compassion on him.

In as Suli's work of the Aurak it is stated with its authorities, that when ar Eashid assumed the Caliphate, and installed Yahya-b-Khalld as first minister, Ibrahim of Mosul said,

" Didst thou not see that the sun was wan, But when Hardn came, its rays shone forth. The world has become clothed with beauty through his sovereignty, For Harun is its monarch and Tahya its minister."

Whereupon ar Eashid made him a present of one hundred thousand difhams and Yahya gave him fifty thousand.

The following is by DauM-b-Eazin of Wasit on Hardn. " Through Harun the light hath shone over every city. And in the justice of his disposition the ways of rectitude are through him established. The Imam whose works are directed to the service of God, And what most frequently occupy him to that end, are war and pilgrimage. The eyes of the people are blinded by the light of his face When his shining countenance appeareth before men.

Ill, see Sale's notes, p. 39). Asyah was the wife of Pharaoh who saved the life of Moses from the anger of her husband, (Kur, XX, Sale, p, 257). — —

[ 303 ]

Hopes grow ample through the munificence of his hand, A. H. 193. For he giveth unto him who hopeth from him beyond what he A. D. 808-9. hopeth."

The Kddhi al Fadhil* observes in one of his Epistles. " I know of no journey ever undertaken by a monarch in search of knowledge, save that by ar Eashid, who journeyed with his two sons al Amin and al Mamdn to

study the Muwattaf under Malik : the original of the Muwatta heard by ar Eashid was in the library of the Egyptians. Afterwards the Sultan Salah- u'ddin-b-Aydb travelled to Alexandria and studied the Muwatta under Ibn Tahir J-b-A'uf—I do not know of a third that can he added to these two."

The following is by Man§ur an Namari§ on ar Eashid " He made the Kuran his Imam and his guide When the Kuran chose him as a defence."

And from a poem of his is this verse " Noble qualities and beneficence are valleys, God hath caused thee to dwell in them where they meet."

It is said that ar Eashid rewarded him for this with a hundred thousand dirhams.

* AhA A'li Atdu'r Eahim al Lakhmi, al A'skalani, known as the Kadhi al Fadtiil (the excellent Kddhi) was the son of the KMhi al Aahraf (the most nohle) and grandson of the Kadhias Sa'id (fortunate). He was horn at Asoalon in A. H, 529 and was Vizir to al Malik an Nasir Salah-u'ddm hy whom he was treated with great favour. He was pre-eminent as a writer of epistles and surpassed every predecessor. Such is the judgment of Ibn Khali confirmed hy the opinion of his contemporaries but to a Euro- pean taste, his style is turgid, and the specimens of his correspondence given by Ibn Khali, show the conventional mannerism and the hackneyed tropes of all Oriental letter writers. He died at Cairo A. H. 696, (1200). t The famous work on tradition by MaUk-b-Anas, which ia part of the basis on which the Malikite system of jurisprudence is founded.

J The printed edition has incorrectly the name A'li for the preposition a'la (tj^) and Ibn (wO for abi (i^') The MS. has not these faults. Abd Tahir Isma'il-b-

Makki-b-Isma'il-b-Isa-b-A'uf az Zuhri was a, doctor of the school of Malik and a Mufti of the highest consideration, The Hafidh as Silafi attended his lectures and as the text rightly says, the Sultan Salah-u'ddm studied the Muwatta under him. He died A. H. 681 (U86).

§ Mansur-b-u'l Zibrikan-b-Salmah called an Namari because descended from Namar-b-Kasit. He was a native of Mesopotamia and brought by al Fadhl-b-Yahya to the notice of ar Eashid. This poet adroitly copied Marwan-b-Abi Hafsah in join- ing to his eulogies of the Caliph the disparagement of the family of A'li, by which he intended to show that he did not recognize their claim to the Imamate. A practice pleasing to the Caliph, notwithstanding his professions of love towards A'li and his affected kindness to his descendants. Mansur died at Eas u'l A'yn in the reiga of

Hariin ; consult Kitab u'l Aghani, Tom. 12. —

[ 304 ]

A. H. 193. Al Husaya-b-rahra narrates that ar Eashid used to say—"among A.D.803-9. the most pleasing to me of what has been said in my praise, is

The father of al Amin, al Mamun and al Mutamin " How generous is he as an affectionate father ! and how generous those whom he hath begotten."

Ishak of Mosul says, " I went in unto ar Eashid and recited to him,

' A woman enjoyed thrift, I said to her. Stay thee For that is a thing to which there is no way. I see that men are friends of the munificent and I see not A miser in the universe that hath a friend. And verily I have seen that avarice bringeth contempt on those that

practise it. And my spirit is too generous that it should be called avaricious. And the best of circumstances for a youth—if thou knowest it, Is when he hath acquired a thing, that he be in the habit of giving to others,

My gift is as the gift of the abundant in generosity, And I have not, as thou verily knowest, little. And how should I fear poverty and be deprived of wealth " While the judgment of the prince of the Faithful is so excellent.'

Ar Eashid exclaimed—" no indeed—how ? if it please God. O Fadhl, give him one hundred thousand dirhams. To Grod be attributed the flow

of the verses he hath brought us ! How admirable is their point and how beautiful their arrangement !" I said, " O prince of the Faithful, thy words are better than my verse." He replied, " O Fadhl, give him another hundred thousand."

In the Tuyyuriyat with its ascription to Ishak of Mosul, it is stated that Abd'l A'tahiyah said to Abu Nawas* I would that I had been before hand with thee in the verse in which thou didst praise ar Eashid.

" Verily I used to fear thee, but what freed me From fearing thee was thy fear of God."

Muhammad-b-A'li al Khurasani says that ar Eashid was the first Caliph who played with hockey stick and ball and shot arrows at a target, and the first Caliph of the sons of al A'bbds that played at chess, and as Siili states that he was the first who appointed degrees and classes for singers. Of the verses of ar Eashid in lament over his female slave

Haylanah, (Helen) as Siili quotes the following :

* The ready wit and brilliant powers of extempore versification of ar Eashid'a

famous poet may be souglit for in D'Horbelot's meagre sketch of his life, by the reader who may be unacquainted with Arabic. The Arabic scholar needs no roforenco to the life of one of the best known figures of his time. —

{ 305 ]

^^°' " I endured afflictions and sorrow ^- "• 808-9, When death took HayMnah to itself. A- D. I parted from my happiness when I lost her And care not now what it may be.

She was my world : and when she sank Into her grave, I parted from my world. Verily people have multiplied, but I Behold no creature after her. By Allah, I shall not forget thee As long as the wind shaketh the boughs on the uplands." And quoted by as Sdli is this verse by him " O, mistress of the mansion in Firk, And mistress of the Sultan and his kingdom For God's sake, spare to slay me For I am neither Daylam nor Turk."

Ar Eashid died at Tds in Khurasan while leading a military expedition, and was buried there on the 3rd Jumada II, 193* (23rd March 809) at the age of forty-five, and his son Salih read prayers over him. As Siili says that ar Rashid left one hundred million dinars, and furniture and jewels and bullion and beasts of kinds, to the value of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dinars. Another author states that Gabriel the son of Bakhtishuu' erredf in his medical treatment of ar Rashid which was the cause of his death, and ar Rashid purposed to have him quartered, but he said, " give me time till to-morrow and thou wilt enter upon the morning in health." But he died the same day.

It is said that ar Rashid dreamed that he was leading the prayers as Imam at Tiis, and he wept, and said " dig me a grave ;" and one was dug for him, and he was borne in a covered litter upon a camel, and it was driven along until he beheld the grave, and he said, " O son of man, thou art about to come to this." And he gave orders to a party who set him down, and they read over him the entire Kuran while he was in the litter on the

* It is as "Weil remarks, a strange fact that notwithstanding the full and splendid court kept by ar Eashid and the learned doctors, authors, traditionists and poets that attended it, the date of his death, as that of his birth, is uncertain. Accor- ding to Wdkidi, he died on Friday night, 3rd Jumada II, according to Hisham, Sunday night in the beginning of Jumada II. According to others Jumada I. The duration of his Caliphate is also a, matter of dispute—Weil follows Wakidi whose narrative accords with that of" as Suyliti. t The MS. has JaJi (was rough or harsh) instead of kle (erred) of the printed

text, , 39 —

[ 306 ]

A. H. 193. edge of the grave. When he died allegiance was sworn in the army to A. D. 809. al Amin, he being at that time in Baghdad. When the news reached him, he prayed before the people on the Friday and preached a discourse and announced the death of ar Eashid unto the people, and they swore allegiance to him. Eaja the eunuch took the mantle, sceptre and signet ring and rode post from Marw till he reached Baghdad in twelve days in the middle of the month of Jumada II, and deposited them with al Amin.

The following is by Abii'sh Shis* lamenting ar Eashid

" A sun hath set in the East And for it my eye weepeth ; We have never before seen a sun That set where it riseth."

Abd Nuwas has the following partly in condolence and partly in congratulation.

" The stars revolve in fortunate and sinister aspects, And we too are in grief and joy. The heart weeps while the eye smiles For we are in gloom and in gladness. The rising al Amfn makes us smile And the death yesterday of the Imam makes us weep. They are two moons. One hath appeared at Baghdad In al Khuld,t and a moon at Tus hath sunk in the grave."

Of the traditions recited by ar Eashid, as Suli mentions one related by him on the authority of Anas that the Apostle of God said, " fear hell- fire, though it be but for the value of a split date." And from A'li-b-Ab£ Talib that the prophet said, " purify your mouths, for they are the path- ways of the Kurdn."

AL AMrN.

Al Amin Muhammad, Abd A'bdu'llah, son of ar Eashid was the heir of his father and assumed the Caliphate after him. He was one of the finest of youths in appearance—fair, tall, handsome, possessed of great strength and vigour and of renowned bravery. It is said that he once

• Muhammad-'b-A'bdu'llah-b-Eazin al KhuzSa'i surnamed Abu'sli Shfs. He composed poema in honour of aa Kashid, al Amin and that GaUph's eon and successor, and wrote elegies on the death of ar Eashid. He died A. H. 196. Ibn KhaU. t " Paradise" the name of the palace at Baghdad, built by al Man^ur, Yakut. [ 307 ]

killed a H6n* with his own hands. He was eloquent, polished in speech, A. H. 193. well-educated and accomplished, but defective in judgment, of great prodi- A. D. 809. gality, weak in mind, apathetic and unfit for government. As soon as he was acknowledged Caliph, on the following day, he ordered the construction of a level piece of ground near the palace of al Mansur for playing at ball. In the year 194 he removedf his brother al :5asim from the government to which ar Eashid had appointed him, and there occurred an estrangement between him and his brother al Mamiin. It is said that Fadhl-b-Kabii', being aware that when the Caliphate came to al Mamdn, he would have no mercy on him, J instigated al Amin and urged him to set him aside and give the succession to his son Miisa. When the disgrace of his brother al Kaaim reached al Mamiin, he cut off all communication with al Amin and omitted his name from the uniforms§ and the coinage. Shortly after al Amin sent to him desiring him to yield Mlisa precedence in the succession to the Oaliphate before himself and stated that he had named him NAtik-b-i'l Hakk (proclaimer of the truth). But al Mamiin rejected it and refused him. The messenger|| (of al Amin) joined the party of al Mamiin, and did homage to him as Caliph in secret. Afterwards he used to keep him informed of news and sent him advices from I'rak. And when he returned and informed al Amin of the refusal of al Mamiin, he struck out his name from the succession and sent for the deed which ar Rashid had written and deposited in the Kaa'bah. They therefore brought it to him and he tore it in pieces and the estrangement le- tween the brothers was thus increased. His counsellors urged their advice on him and Khuzaymah-b-Khazim^ said, " O prince of the Faithful, he who lieth to thee, giveth thee no good counsel, and he who speaketh the truth to thee, doth not betray thee. Do not encourage** the officers to call

* The narrative of the feat is given by Ma§a'udi. t That is Mesopotamia, hut allowed him to retain the governorship of Kinnasrin and command of the fortresses of the marches. "Weil. J He was the prime minister of al Amin and altogether wedded to his interest. He had also suffered the maltreatment of one of al M&mtin's messengers in his presence by one of his suite, and allowed him to speak harshly of that prince of which al Mamuu Was informed by the messenger himself on his return. Ibn u'l Athir.

§ So Weil translates this word j^. The MS. has "khutbah" (*i^'»') Ibn u'l Athir has j^ with the printed text. A'bbas-b-Miisa, one of four delegates despatched I His name was by the Oaliph to al Mamiin.

IT The printed text and MS. have—Hazim-b-Khuzaymah, but this is an error^ Masa-ddi, Ibn u'l Athir Ibn Khaldun and Weil who follows them, write the name as I have given it.

** For .s' of the printed text, read, as in Masaudi and Ibn u'l Athir, /g.^ar'.

The MS. has also ^^y^^ but without the Tashdid. ;

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A. H. 194. for deposal, for they will some dm/ depose thee, and do not incite them A. D. 810. to violate a compact, for they will violate their covenant of allegiance to thee, for verily he who deceives shall be deceived, and he who perjures himself shall be betrayed." But be would not listen to advice, and set about conciliating the officers with presents, and had the covenant of succession taken for his son Mdsa who was at that time a child in arms, and surnamed him Natik-b-i'l Hakk. One of the poets has said regarding this.* " The Caliphate is ruined by the treachery of the vizier. The profligacy of the prince and the folly of his counsellor For Fadhl is the vizier and Bakr the councillor. Seeking that in which lieth the perdition of the prince. And stranger than either one or the other Is that we should swear allegiance to a little child, Onet that is unable to blow its nose And is never out of the lap of its nurse.

And J what is this, but that Fadhl and Bakr Seek to deface the Illustrious Book. And were it not for the vicissitudes of Fortune, these two Would never be among princes and leaders."

When al Mdmun was assured of his having been set aside, he assumed the title of the prince of the Faithful and was thus addressed. Al Amin appointed A'li-b-I'sa-b-Mahan to the mountainous districts of Hamaddn, Nahawand, Kumm and Ispahan in the year 195. A'li-b-I'sa then set forth from Baghdad in the middle of Jumada II, at the head of an army forty thousand strong, the like of which had not been seen, to engage al Mamun, and he took with him a silver chain,§ in order as he thought to

bind him with it. Al Mamlin despatched against him Tahir-b-u'1-Husayn at the head of less than four thousand men. He was victorious and A'li was slain and his army routed. His head was taken to al Mdmun and sent through Khurasan and al Mamiin was saluted as Caliph. The news reached al Amin while he was engaged in fishing, and he said " to him who brought the reporb, Confound thee ! Leave me, for Kau- thar (his eunuch) hath taken two fish, and I have not taken anything as yet."

* This, according toMasaMi was a blind poet of BagMad called A'li-lD-Al)i Tffib. Some of the Hnes I have omitted for reasons obvious to tbose who can read tbe original. So this line rirns in Masa'udi aUa> 4iJ| t jy« JirH m)y # ^-«» ^^-«^ ir»Ji-' ly'"

j.llojS;'^ The one in the text is probably the correct one, but it is untranslatable. X Masaddi haSjU j pLxj J/| ti'lil* j He also gives a closing line which ia not

in the text, jjjfia:-'| ji,

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195. A'bdu'llat-b-Sdlih al Jarmi* says, that when A'li was slain, the people A. H. in Baghdad raised a great tumult and al A.min repented of having set aside A. D. 811. his brother. The nobles too, sought to obtain what they could of him, and despatched their troops to demand pay of al Amin, and the contest continued between him and his brother. The affairs of al AmIn daily grew worse through his abandonment to frivolity and follies, while those of al Mamiin improved till the inhabitants of the Sacred Cities and the greater part of I'rak swore aUegianee to him. The circumstances of al Amin at length became desperate, the discipline of the army was destroyed, and his treasures dissipated, by reason of which the condition of the people fell into a grievous state. Meanwhile violence, devastation and ruin waxed great and increased through the continuance of hostilities and the play of the engines

of war and the liquid naphtha, till the splendours of Baghdad were obli-

terated and dirges were sung over it. And among the pieces recited

regarding it, is the following

" If wept tears of blood over Baghdad when I lost the delights of a happy life The eye of the envious fell upon it And destroyed its people by the engines of war."

The siege of Baghdad continued for fifteen months, and the greater number of the Abbasides and ministers of State joined the forces of al Mamuri and none remained with al Amin to defend him, but the rabble and

the vagabonds J of Baghdad, and this lasted till the beginning of the year 198. Then Tahir-b-u'l Husayn entered Baghdad at the point of the sword, and al Amin fled -with his mother and family from the palace to the city of al Manslir,§ and all his troops and servants dispersed, and food and water became scarce among them. Muhammad-b-Eashid narrates, " Ibrahim-b-u'l Mahdi|| told me that he was with al Amin in the city of al Mansur, and added, " he sent for me

* In the text this name is marked Jurmi, Taut I think this is an error. Ibn Khal in his life of Ahti Omar al Jarmi (so De Slane writes the name) says that there are several trihes so called. The Muntaha'l Arab gives the name Jarm, hut not Jurm, nor

is there such a town in YakAt who, however, mentions Jirm as a place near Badakhshan, t Ten more lines of this poem may he found in Mas' audi. plurals to this J Kazimirski gives two word viz., jjfe.Jsj|jA. and «X*^ , The text and MS. have ^mJi^, Lane does not give it.

§ The old city called also the city of Ahti Jaa'far. Masa'lidi. See M. deMeynard's translation, Tom VI., p. 471. Brother to Hardn ar Eashid. He had great talent as a singer and was an agreeable II companion at parties of pleasure. He was surnamed at Tinnin or the dragon, from his large frame. He was proclaimed Caliph at Baghdad during the absence of al Mamdn in Khurasan, and so contiaued for nearly two years. His flight and adventures have been given by Tabari and others and are well known. He died at Sarr-man-raa A. H. 224 (839). IbnKhaU. — —

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A. H. 198. one night, and I went to him and he said, ' dost thou not observe the "beauty A..D.813-14i. of the night, the splendour of the moon and its radiance on the water?

what sayest thou to a bout of wine ?' I replied ' do as thou wilt.' Then we drank together and he sent for a slave girl whose name was Dhaa'f (weakness) and I was struct with the ill-omen of her name. He commanded her to sing and she sang a verse of an Nabighah al Jaa'di's.*

' By my life, Kulayb had more allies. Had more numerous foUowersf than thou, and yet was stained with blood.'

The Caliph felt this as in ill augury and said ' sing something else.' So she sang

' Their departure hath made mine eye to weep and hath rendered it sleepless.

For separation is a cause of weeping unto friends. The adversity of fortune continued to attack them Until they destroyed one another, for the adversity of fortune is inimical. And to-day I weep for them greatly and lament them Until I return so incessantly that no tears are left in my eyes.' — He exclamed ' may Allah curse thee ! knowest thou nothing but that ?

She replied ' I thought that thou didst like this.' Then she sang again

' But, by the Lord of repose and movement, Verily death hath many snares. Days and nights do not recur nor Do the stars revolve in the sky and the firmament. Save to take a king from his kingdom. Verily his authority passeth to another monarch, But the kingdom of the Lord is everlasting.

It deoayeth not neither is it shared.'

— !' He exclaimed ' Begone—Allah curse thee and she arose and

stumbled over a crystal goblet of price and broke it. He said, ' alas, Ibrd-

* Ha8san-b-|fays a member of the trite of Jaa'd-Tj-Kaa'b known as an. NAbighai al Jaa'di was one of tbe most celebrated of the poets contemporary with Muhammad. He was born before the promulgation of Islamism and fought on A'li's side at Siffin. He died during the reign of Abdu'Uah-b-uz Zubayr. He was Burnamed an Nabighah because he did not give any proofs of poetical talent till after his 30th year. De Slan§. Ibn Khali. + So I venture to translate U!^j.«j( The phrase <-*JiJt aIj^ (-Lift* means Okayl has numerous horsemen, ljAJA'O a man having many dependents. Masa'Adi

has l/«jA.j,v.j| and Ibn u'l Athir the same. ;

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198. tim !—dost thou not see ? by Allah. I cannot but think that my time is A. H. drawing near !' I replied ' nay—may Allah prolong thy life and render A.D.813-14v glorious thy kingdom.' Then I heard a voice from the Tigris, saying—' the case is judged regarding which ye two called for a judicial decision'—at which Muhammad al Amin sprung up in great trouble. A night or two after this, he was slain. He was taken and imprisoned in a house and a party of Persians were let in upon him, and they struck him with their swords, and cut him through the nape of his neck and went with his head to Tahir, who placed it upon a wall of a garden, and it was proclaimed by the crier, ' This is the head of the deposed Muhammad,' and his body was dragged by a rope." Tahir then sent the head, the mantle, the sceptre and the praying carpet which was of palm branches lined, to al Mdmdn. The assassination of his brother weighed sorely on al Mamiin for he would have preferred that he should have been sent to him alive in order that he might consider his intention regarding him. He therefore hated Tahir and neglected him with total oblivion till he died in distant exile.* Thus were verified the words of al Amin, for he had written a letter with his own hand to Tahir-b-u'l Husayn when he was summoned to war against him in which he said ' O Tahir, no assertor of our rights hath ever arisen in our behalf, since we came to power, but his reward from us was the sword—therefore look to thyself or meddle not—consider Abd Muslim and such as he, who spent themselves in serving the A'hlasides and their end was death at their

hands." Kegarding the murder of al Amin, is the following by Ibrahim al Mahdi.

" Turn to the mansion on the hills, effaced by the blowing winds At Khuld, formed of stone and tile. And the polished marble with which it was faced And its gate, a gate of resplendent gold. And convey for me a message to The prince, concerningt the ruled and him who rules. Say to him ' O son of the prince of right guidance. Cleanse the cities of God from the 'presence of Tahir It was not enough for him that he should cut J the jugular veins of al Amin

government of Khuristo « His splendid Ibanislunent to the almost iBdependent master from whose may weU have consoled him for the loss of the society of a capricious says that al MAmtin could not taidy remorse he did not feel himself safe. D'Herhelot founder of the dynasty that hears look upon Tahir without weeping. He became the his name. text. t Ibn u'l Athir has ts^* for lif* of the verb in the next line passive without any X The text makes tliis and another —:

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slaughter of sacrificial ofEerings, with cutting blades, A H 198. I'i^e the drag his limbs A.D. 813-14. ^^^ ^® must* merciless avengerf With a rope, meaning thereby to act as a ; Verily death hath settled on his eyelids " And his eye hath a troubled glance.' Asd among the verses that were composed is also " Why should I lament thee ? why ? for thy mirth, O Abii Musa and thy continual frivolity ? And for thy neglect of the five devotions at their appointed times Through, thy passion for wine ?

For Shanif J I shall not mourn Nor care I for the retribution that hath befallen Kauthar. Thou wert incapable of rule nor Was obedience rendered unto thee in the Arabian kingdom. Why should we mourn for thee ? for what thou hast exposed us to ?" At one time to the engines of war, and at another to pillage

There is a poem by Khuzaymah-b-u'l Hasan supposed to be recited by

Zubaydah, in which he says : § " Tahir came, may the Lord not purify Tahir from sin. For Tahir was impure in the purpose for which he came. He turned me forth with uncqvered head and unveiled. And plundered my goods and destroyed my dweUings. What 1 have suffered will afiiict Harun, And what hath befallen me from the basest and most corrupt of. mankind. Eemember, O prince of the faithful my kinship I ransom thee with my life, thou who art revered and remembered.

Ibn Jarir says that when al Amin assumed the government, he purchased eunuchs and gave excessive prices for them, and admitted them to his intimacy and abandoned the society of his wives and slave girls. Another author observes that on his accession he sent into the districts in quest of buffoons, and allowed them stipends and procured a number of

occasion. The sense is made clearer by allowing them to stand simply as transitive verbs which from Ibn u'l Athir, it is evident they are.

• i^>jsri Ji\ ^J^ iijn u'l Athir.

J These were two of his minions. found in Ma?a'udi where it is § This poem is omitted in the MS., but it wiU be stated to be written by Zubaydah herself to al Mdmun. There are several additional Hues in Maja'udi and some variants from those in the text, the last lino especially being altogether diflforont. — — —

[ 313 1 wild beasts, and animals of prey and birds, and kept apart from his family A. H, 198. and his nobles, and treated them with contempt. He wasted what was in A.D.813-14. the public treasuries and squandered jewels and objects of price in profu- sion and built numerous palaces in various places for purposes of amusement, and on one occasion he gave a boat full of gold as a present to one who sang to him the following verse

" I kept retired from thee till thou saidst, 'he knoweth not the distress of aversion,'

And I visited thee so often that thou saidst, * he hath no self- " restraint.'

He also built five barques in the shape of a lion, an elephant, an eagle, a serpent and a horse, and spent great sums on their construction, regarding which Abd Nuwas said,

" The Lord hath subjected unto al Amin Animals for his riding which have never been subjected to Solomon. For whenever his riding camels go by land, He goeth upon the water mounted on a lion* of the forest. A lion with outstretched limbs ready to spring With wide jaws and terrible teeth."

As Sdli relates on the authority of Muhammad-b-A'mr ar Rumi, that Kauthar the eunuch of al Amin went forth to watch the fighting and a missile struck him in the face. Al Amin set about wiping the blood from his face and said

" They have struck the apple of my eye, And on account of me, have they struck him. May Allah punish for my heart's sake Those who have set it on fire."

But he was unable to add to these lines, so he summoned A'bdu'llah-b- u't Taymi the poet and said to him " Cap these two." Upon which he exclaimed

" There is no equal to him whom I love, The whole world is dazed in him. Union with him is sweet, but Parting is bitter and hateful. Those who see in him his Superiority over them, are envious of him. In the same manner as the monarch that reigns is envied by his brother."

For c*aJ read 40 — :

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A. H. 198. Upon which al Amin gave him three mule-loads of dirhams. But when A.D,813-14. al Amin was slain, at Taymi went to al Mamlin and vaunted his praises, but he would not allow him an audience, whereupon he betook himself to al Fadhl-b-Sahl who introduced him into al Mamdn's presence, and when he had made his salutation, the Caliph said, " Come, O Taymi, some more of—" In the same manner as the monarch that reigns Is envied by his brother. At Taymi said,*

" A'bdu'llah al Mamun was succoured When they oppressed him. The covenant was violated Which they had formerly made with him. His brother did not deal with him As his father had directed."

Upon this he pardoned him and ordered ten thousand dirhams to be given to him.

It is said that Sulayman-b-Mansur complained to al Amin that Aba Nuwas had satirized him and he replied, " O uncle, can I put him to death after his saying

I offer praise unto Muhammad al Amin,

And beside it there is no commodity so desired. Praise speaketh truly of Muhammad al Amin, Though of praise there is much that \» false and lieth. Verily the bright moon waneth after it hath reached its fulness. But the splendour of the light of Muhammad waneth not And if the pebbles of the sons of al Mansiir be counted Then Muhammad among them is like a picked sapphire." Ahmad- b-Hanbal observes " verily I trust that the Lord wiU be merciful unto al Amin for his repudiation of Isma'il-b-U'layyah, who was brought unto him, and the Caliph said—son of an adulteress—it is thou that sayest that the Kuran is created !" Al Masa'lidi says, " no one up to my time hath ruled the Caliphate being a Hashimite and the son of a Hashimite woman, save A'li-b-Abi Talib, his son al Hasan, and al Amin whose mother was Zubaydah daughter

of Jaa'far-b-Abi Jaa'far al Mangdr : her name was Amat u'l Aziz (hand- maid of the Almighty) and Zubaydahf was a surname given to her."

* To the reader -who ia not acquainted -with the Arabic it may he as well to mention that this is continued in the same metre and rhymes with the preceding lines to al Amin.

+ Zubaydah is diminutive of " Zubdah" cream or fresh butter. See hor life in Ibn Khali, And Do Slane's note. —

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tsbak of Mosul states that there were q[ualities in al Amin to be A. H. 198. A.D.Sla-l*. found united in no other—he was one of the handsomest of men in face and one of the most generous ; the noblest of the Caliphs by his father's and mother's side, skilled in letters, versed in the art of poetry, but enslaved by sensuality aad frivolity, and notwithstanding his extravagance in money, a niggard in his table. Abul Hasan al Ahmar says, " I used often to forget a verse by which a point of grammar might be illustrated, and al Amin would adduce it for me, and I have never met among the sons of a monarch any quicker of apprehension than he and al Mamin, His assassination occurred on (the 24.th or 25th) Muharram of the year 198, (24ith or 25th September, 813) he being twenty-seven years of age."

Of people of note who died during his reign were : Ismail-b-U'layyah, Ghundur, Shakik al Balkhi the ascetic, Abti Mu'awiyah ad Dharir (the blind) Muwarrij* as Saddsi, A'bdu'llah-b-Kathir the Kuran reader, Abu Nuwas the poet, A'bdu'llah-b-Wahb, disciple of Malik, Warsh the Kuran reader, Wakii' and others. A'li-b-Muhammad an Naufali and others say that neither as Saffah nor al Mansiir nor al Mahdi nor al Hadi nor ar Bashid were prayed for in the pulpits by their surnames, nor so addressed in epistolary correspondence until al Amin reigned, and he was prayed for as al Amin in the pulpits, and correspondence was conducted in his name thns, " From the servant of God Muhammad al Amin prince of the Faithful," and to the same effect al A'skari observes in his Awail, viz., that the first who was prayed for by his surname in the pulpits was al Amin. Among the verses of al Amin addressed to his brother al Mamun, reviling him on account of the base descent of his mother, on hearing that al Mamiin was in the habit of recounting his vices and asserting his own superiority over him, are the following quoted by as Stili

" Be not vain-glorious for thyself in the absence of the choicest of thy race. For vaunting is justified alone in a perfect man.

And if thou exaltest thyself over men through their merit, Then pause, for thou art not pre-eminent. Thy grandsire hath bestowed upon thee what thou didst desire, yet forsooth Thou wilt find the reverse of thy wishes with Marajil,! Thou ascendest the pulpit each day, hoping For that which thou shalt not obtain after me.

* The text has erroneously " Muwarrakh," but the MS. ia correct. Muwarrij was a grammarian of Basrah. See his life in Ibn Khali, t The name of his mother who was a slave concubine. —

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A. H. 198. And thou reproachest one who is above thee in merit A.D.813-14i. And repeatest vain words regarding me."

I remark that this verse is of approved merit, and if it is really his, it

is better than the poetry of his brother and his father. As Suli says, that the following lines on his eunuch Kauthar who was serving wine to him while he was reclining on a couch of narcissus flowers, and the moon had just risen are ascribed to him, but others ascribe them to al Husayn b-u'd Dhahhak* al Khalii', a boon companion of his who was never separate from him.

" The full moon hath so pourtrayed thy beauty of thy face that I deemed I saw thee and yet saw thee not. Whenever the tender narcissus breathes,

I think it the sweet breath of thy brightness. An illusion of my desires hath occupied me with thee In the splendour of the one and the fragance of the other.

I will abide while I live, in thankfulness Unto the one and the other while they resemble thee."

By him also are these lines on his eunuch Kauthar

" What seek the people of a lover Afflicted for one he loves ? Kauthar is my faith and my worldly fortune, Both my sickness and my physician ; The most despicable of men is he who reproveth A lover on account of his beloved."

The following was composed by him when he despaired of his kingdom, and Tahir obtained the mastery over him. " O soul ! now must thou beware For where is there a refuge from Fate ? Every man, of what he feareth

And hopeth, is in peril.

He who sippeth the sweets of life Shall one day be choked by affliction."

As Siili records with its ascription that al Amin said to his scribe, "Write as follows: From the servant of God, Muhammad, prince of the Faithful, to Tahir-b-u'l Husayn—Greeting to thee ! And now, verily, things

* Generally known by the appellation of al Khalii' (the libertine). He waa bom at Ba?rah in 162 A. H., descended from a native of Khurdsan. He was a writer and a poet, and was admitted to the society of the Caliphs and enjoyed their favour to an extent almost unequalled by any other save Ibrdhim of Mosul. He had some amusing adventures with Abu Nuwds. He died A. H. 250 (864) having nearly attained his hundredth year. Ibn Khali. An account of him will be found in the Kitdb u'l Agh&ni. Fol. 6, p. 170—but the verses in the text ai'e not oitod therein. [ 317 3 have proceeded between me and between my brother even to the rending A. H. 198. of veils, and the disclosure of what is inviolable, and I am not sure but A.D. 813-14. that he may covet this authority which is distant and remote from Mm, through the difEerences in our friendship and the opposition of our interests. Yet, verily, I am content that thou shouldst write me a safe-conduct to my

brother, and if he be generous towards me, such conduct is worthy of him, but if he put me to death, then hath manliness destroyed manliness, and the sword cloven the sword, for, verily, I would rather that a lion should rend me than that a dog should bark at me," but Tahir refused his request. And on the authority of Ismail-b-Abi Muhammad al Yazldi, that he said, " my father used to discourse with al Amin and al Mamlin on subjects in which they displayed their eloquence, and he used to say, " the children of the Caliphs of the House of Umayyah used to be sent out to the desert, that they might gain purity of speech, but ye are even more chaste

in language than they." As Siili says, " I know not of any relation of a tradition by al Amin save this one. Al Mughirah-b-Muhammad al Muhal-

labi said to me, ' I saw a company of the Banu Hashim, among whom was one of the sons of al Mutawakkil, with al Husayn-b-u'd Dhahhak, and they asked him regarding al Amin and his acquirements. Al Husayn ?' described his accomplishments as considerable. ' And in theological law

asked they. He replied ' that al Mamun was more profoundly versed in it than he.' 'And in tradition?' they said. He answered 'I never heard a tradition from him but once, when it was announced to him that a slave of his had died in Mecca, when he exclaimed—my father related to me a tradition, heard from A'bbas, who said—I heard the prophet say—he who dies engaged in the functions of the pilgrimage, shall be raised giving the salutation Labayk.' "* At Tha'alabi in the Lataif-u'l Ma'arif observes that Abu'l A'ynaf used to say, " were Zubaydah to let loose her braided locks, they would

* This Taltiyat or cry of supplication (wMcli signifies, " here I am at thy service") is incumbent upon the pilgrim. To use it frequently is meritorious and is a aunnat or practice, a, single Talbiyat is a " shart " or positive condition. The refrain is

See Burton's Mecca, p. 232. t Ahu Abdu'llah Muhammad-h-al Kasim, Maula to the Caliphal Mansur was a blind man remarkable for his repartees, verses and literary knowledge. He was born at al Ahwaz A. H, 131 and bred at Basrah. He received the surname of Abu'l A'yna from [ 318 ]

L H. 198. fasten upon nothing but Caliphs or heirs to the Caliphate, for al MansAi? grandsire, and al Mahdi \..D.813-14. was her grandsire and as SafEah the brother of her her paternal uncle, and ar Eashid her husband, and al Amia her son, and and al Mamun and al Mua'tasim the sons of her husband, and al Wathik al Mutawakkil her husband's grandsons, and as for the heirs-apparent, they are numerous. Like her, in this respect, of the House of Umayyah was A'atikah, daughter of Tazid-b-Mu'awiyah. Tazid was her father, Mu'awiyah her grandfather, Mu'awiyah-b-Yazid her brother, Marwan-b-u'l Hakam her father-in-law, Abdu'l Malik her husband, Yazid her son, al Walid her son's son, al Walid, Hisham and Sulayman the sons of her husband, and Yazid and Ibrahim the two sons of al Walid, grandsons of her husband.

AL MAMITN.

Al Mdmlin A'bdu'Uah Abli'l A'bbis the son of ar Eashid was horn in the year 170 on Thursday night* in the middle of Eabii' I, the same night on which al Hadi died, and on which his father ar Eashid, succeeded him. His mother was a slave concubine named Marajil who died in giving birth to him. In his childhood he applied himself to learning. He heard traditions from his father and Hushaym and A'bbad-b- u'lA'wam, Yusuf-b-A'tiyah, Abu Mu'awiyah adpharir,Ishma'il-b-U'layyah, Hajjaj al Aa'war (the one-eyed) and men of their class.f Al Yazidi instructed him in polite accomplishments and he assembled the jurisconsults from all quarters, and became a proficient in jurisprudence and the Arabic language, and the history of the encounters of the desert Arabs. When he grew up he applied himself to philosophy and the sciences of the ancients and became profoundly versed in them, and it was that which seduced him into asserting the creation of the Kuran. f Jaa'far-b-

his having asked Abu Zayd al An?firi, the diminutive of A'yni (a large-eyed female) to -wbioli he received the answer ' TJ'yayna O Ahu'l A'ynA, which nickname clung to him ever after. He died, according to Bome in 283, according to others 282 A. H. Some of his witty replies are given hy Ibn KhaU from whom the above extract is taken. * In the life of ar Eashid, this event is given as having occurred on Friday night. See page 290. t For j***^ read as in the MS. (»«*fl^^. % The orthodox Muslims maintain, if I may venture upon a definition of their belief, that the Kurin, the uncreated Logos, was from the beginning,—co.eternal with the Deity, not of His essence in hypostatic union, but an inseparable inherent

quality of it, like His Unity. Al Mdmtin adopted the opinions of the Mua'tazalites (whom Weil terms the Protestants and Rationalists of Islam) who asserted tho

necessity of its creation by the Deity, They believed the word of God to have been [ 319 ]

Abi Othman at Tayalisi and others Lave related traditions on his authority. A. H. 198. He was the most distinguished of the House of A'bbas for his prudence, A.D.813-14. his determination, his clemency and judgment, his sagacity and awe- inspiring aspect, his intrepidity, majesty and liberality. He had many emiment qualities, and a long series of memorable actions are r worded of him were it not that he marred them hy what he did in forcing men to an interrogation regarding the creation of the Kuran. Of the House of A'bbas none wiser than he ever ruled the Caliphate. He was eloquent and fluent of speech, and he used to say, " Mu'awiyah ruled through his A'mar, and A'bdu'l Malik through his Hajjaj, but I by myself." It used to be said that the Band A'bbas were distinguished by a beginning, a middle and an end, for the beginning was as Saffah, the middle al Mamun, and and the end al Mu'atadhid. It is related that in one of the fasts of the Eamadhan, he read the Kuran through thirty-three times. He was notorious for his attachment to the Shiite doctrines which indeed led him to exclude his brother al Miitamin and confer the succession upon A'li ar Eidha* as we shall shortly mention. Abu Maa'shar.f the astrologer, says that al Mamun was wont to govern with justice, possessed a natural turn for jurisprudence, and deserved to be accounted among the greatest doctors. Of ar Eashid, it is reported that he said, " verily I recognise in A'bdu'llah {al Mamun) the prudence of al Mansur, the piety of al Mahdi, and the maje.sty of al Hadi, and if I chose to mention him in connection with a fourth (meaning himself), I might do so, and yet I gave precedence to Muhammad {al Amiri) before him, although I knew him to be a slave to his passions, lavishly profuse of what he possessed, and calling into counsel with him his concubines and wives, and had it not been for Umm Jaa'far {ZubaydaK) and the affection of the Banu Hashim for him, I would have placed A'bdu'llah before him.' Al Mamiin assumed the supreme power after the assassination of his brother in the year 198, while he was in Khurasan and he took the surname of Abu Jaa'far. As Suli says that the A'bbassides preferred this surname, because it was the surname of al Mansiir, and it possessed in their minds

created in subjeeto, and to consist of letters and sound, copies tliereof being -WTitten in books to express the original. They also vent further and affirmed, that -whatever was created in subjeeto was an accident and liable to perish. See their doctrines in Sale. The arguments of al Mamun in defence of his opinions will afterwards appear in a letter to his Prefect at Baghdad. * The son of Musa, the sixth in descent from A'li-b-Abi Talib. t Abu Maa'shar Jaa'far-b-Muhammad, al Balkbr the celebrated astrologer was the great master of his age in that art. He composed a number of works on the science of the stars, such as the Mudkhil {Introduction) the Zij (astronomical tables). He was very successful in his divinations. He died A. H. 272 (885-6J. Ibn Khali. [ 320 1

A. H. 198, a majesty and an auspieiousness on account of the longevity of those who A.D.813-14. were so named, such as al Mansur and ar Eashid. In the 201 he excluded his brother al Mutamin from the succession and appointed as heir after him A'li ar Eidha the son of Mdsa al Kadhim (the meek) the son of Jaa'far as Sadik {the vfriffht). His extravagant attachment to the Shiite doctrines induced him to this, so that it was even said, that he himself purposed abdicating and resigning the government to him. It was he who named him ar Eidha (the accepted of God and men), and he coined money in his name, gave him his daughter in marriage and promulgated this in the various quarters of his empire. He likewise commanded the abandonment of black garments* and the adoption of green. This was highly displeasing to the Banii'l A'bbas, and they rose up against him and swore allegiance to Ibrahim the son of al Mahdi who was surnamed al Mubarak (blessed). Al Mamun prepared to oppose him and various affrays and engagements took place and al Mamiin set out

for Irak. Now it came to pass that A'li ar Eidha diedf in the year 203, whereupon al Mamun wrote to the people of Baghdad telling them as they were angered against him on account of his having taken the covenant of allegiance for A'li, that he was now dead, but they returned him a rough answer, so al Mamun began his advance. Now Ibrahim the son of al Mahdi heard that the people had withdrawn from their engagement to him, wherefore he hid himself in the month of Du'l Hijjah. Thus his reign lasted two years all but a few days, and he remained in concealment for the space of eight years. Al Mamiin arrived at Baghdad in Safar 204, and the Abbasides and others entreated him to return to the wearing

of black and the abandonment of green ; he at first hesitated but afterwards consented.

As Siili records with its ascription that one of the women of his family said to al Mamun, " verily thou art generous to the descendants of A'li-b-Abi Tdlib, but the government in thy hands is more powerfully employed against thy interests for their benefit than it would be in their hands for thine," but he replied, " verily I have done what I have done,

* According to Itn Khaldfln, the A'bbasides adopted iDlack as mourning for the slaughter of so many of the Hashlmites under the Umayyad dynasty. The followers of A'li who rose against the Ahhasidea took the opposite colour, white. The adoption of green hy al Mamun, Weil supposes to have been suggested by an idea of a mixture of the two colours, as significant of an alliance between the two—the word j*^^ meaning grey as well as green. The rebel Aliites in the reign of al Man?ur wore yellow according to Tabari. Al Mdmidn, however, soon recalled the order, and the

cherished black was again resumed. See Weil. Tom II, p. 216. t It was strongly suspected that he died of poison administered at the instigation al of Mdmfin ; Masa'iidi attributes Uis death to indigestion from eating grapes, but alludes to the rumour that he was poisoned. [ 3ai ]

because Abii Bakr when he ruled, did not appoint any of the Banii Hashim A. H. 204 to office, and so with Omar and Othmdn ; then A'li succeeded to the A. D. 819. government and he appointed A'bdu'llah-b-A'bbas to Basrah, Ubayd- u'llah to Yaman, Maa'bad to Mecca and Kutham to Bahrayn, and he left none of them without naming them to some post. This therefore was upon our shoulders, until I recompensed him in his posterity by what I have done."

In the year 210, al Mamiin married Buran daughter of al Hasan-b- Sahl* and her outfit amounted to many thousand dinars. Her father presented the chief officers of State with robes of honour and entertained them for the space of nineteenf days, and wrote on slips of paper the names of estates belonging to him, and scattered them among the generals and the A'bbassides, and into the hand of whomsoever a slip fell with the

name of an estate in it, he received it, and he showered before al Mamiin a tray full of pearls when the bride was conducted to him. In the year 211 al Mamun commanded it to be proclaimed that whosoever should speak well of Mu'awiyah should be outlawed and that A'li- b-Abi Talib was to he considered the best of men after the Apostle of God. In the year 212 al Mamiin made public his doctrine on the creation of the ICnran conjoined with the deolaration of the superiority of A'li over Abu Bakr and Omar, but the people shrunk from it with aversion and the country was near being involved in rebellion, but he did not obtain by this what he desired, wherefore he desisted from it until the year 218. In the year 215 al Mamun undertook an expedition against the Byzantines and captured by force of arms the fortress of Kurrah, and the fortress of Majidah,J and then returned to Damascus. In the year 216 he again advanced into the Eoman territory and took a number of fortresses and again retired to Damascus. Afterwards he proceeded to Egypt and entered

it, and was the first who entered it of the A'bbaside Caliphs. In the year 217 he returned to Damascus and repeated his invasion of the Soman

territory. §

* His prime minister. The cost of tlie nuptials is stated by Ibn Khali to have been 60 million dirhams (about £1,200,000). Buran's grandmother presented the OaUph with 1000 pearls—and on the marriage night a candle of ambergris weigh- ing 801b was placed in a candlestick of gold. The Caliph himself protested against this wild extravagance. In compensation for hia expenses he gave al Hasan one year's revenue of Fars and al Ahwaz. Ibn Khali. **«J t For **^«« in the text which is a misprint, rea

X So Ibn al Athir and Weil : the text has Majid. Both these places are in the neighbourhood of Tarsus. " § As Suyuti omits to mention the conquest of Crete and Sicily. Under the reign of al Mamfin, at Baghdad, of Michael the Stammerer at Constantinople, the 41 —

[ 322 ]

A. H. 218. In the year 218 be submitted the people to an inquisition regarding in A. D. 833. the doctrine of the creation of the Kursln, and he wrote to bis prefect Baghdad, Ishak-b- Ibrahim al Khuzaa'i cousin of Tahir-b-u'l Husayn regarding the interrogation of the learned, a letter in which he says as follows: " Verily the prince of the Faithful is aware that the public at large, and the general herd of the rabble and vulgar mob who have no insight nor knowledge, nor seek illumination from the light of wisdom and its demonstration, are a people ignorant of God and blind in regard to Him, and in error as to the truth of His doctrine, and fail to estimate Him according to the reality of His transcendence, and to arrive at a true knowledge of Him and to distinguish between Him and His creature, and

that inasmuch as they have formed an ill opinion of the difEerence between Him and His creation and what He hath revealed in the Kuraa, for they are agreed upon its being from the beginning, not created by God nor produced by Him yet, verily, the Most High hath said, ' verily we have ; made the same an Arabic Kuran' (Kur. XLIII). Now, indeed whatever He hath made. He hath created, as the Most High hath said, ' and hath created the darkness and the light,' (Kur. VI) and, ' do we relate unto thee of the histories of the Apostles,' (Kur. XI) vim., of what had previously occurred—wherefore He announceth that He relateth events subsequent to which He produced the Kurdn. Again He says, ' this hoo&j the verses of which are guarded against corruption, and are also distinctly

explained,'* (Kur. XI). .Therefore is God the guardian of His book and

its expounder, He is therefore its maker and its originator. Further, they pretend to adhere to the prophetical traditions and that they are the people

of orthodoxy and of the church, and all besides them are in error and infidelity, and they pride themselves on this and seduce the ignorant

by it, so that a number of persons following a false course and yielding submission to other than God, have inclined to agreement with them. Thus they wrest the truth to the side of their vain words and make of other than God a channel to their own error." He goes on to say, " the prince of the Faithful therefore considereth these to be mischievous people who would hinder a portion of the divine unity, and vessels of ignorance and beacons of falsehood and the tongue of Satan speaking among his

islands of Crete and Sicily were subdued by the Arabs. Hie former of these conquests is disdained by their own writers who were ignorant of the fame of Jupiter and Minos, but it has not been overlooked by the Byzantine historians.'' Decline and Fall, (0. lii). The history of Sicily under the MusUms may be read with interest in the pages of Amari-Storia dei Musulmini di Sicilia.

* So distinctly explained that this single passage alone has received many dif-

ferent interpretations on account of the ambiguity of the words i-i**^i^T and >^A-A*, The difficulties of private judgment are not confined to the churches of the West. [ 823 ]

accomplices and terrifying his enemies—the people of God's word. It is A. H. 218. right, therefore, that the sincerity of such a one should he suspected and his A. D. 833.

testimony rejected, for he is not to he trusted who is ignorant as to his true course and his portion in the divine unity, and hath heen moreover in exceeding'error and hath wandered astray from the right path. And by the

life of the prince of the Faithful, the greatest liar among men is he who speaketh falsely of God and of His revelation, and who inventeth untruths and doth not comprehend God with a real comprehension of Him. Assemble, therefore, the Kadhis that are with thee and read to them my letter and question them as to what they maintain, and discover from them what they believe in regard to the creation of the Kuran and its being called, into existence, and inform them that I seek no assistance in my service, nor do I put my confidence* in one who is untrustworthy in his faith. And if they allow it and are of accord, then command them to .interrogate those witnesses that come before them and to question them as to their belieff in the matter of the Kuran, and to reject the testimony of those who do not allow it to be created, and write to me regarding what cometh to thee concerning the Kadhis of the people under thy jurisdiction in their inter- rogations, and orders about them will be issued accordingly." Al Mamun likewise wrote to him to send seven individuals to him, and they were, Muhammad-b-Saa'd Katib u'l Wakidi, Yahya-b-Ma'in, Abu Khaythamah, Abu Muslim disciplej of Yazid b-Harun, Isma'il-b-Daudd, Isma'il-b-Abi Masa'iid, and Ahmad-b-Ibr^him adDauraki. They were accordingly sent to him and he questioned them on the creation of the Kuran and they admitted it, wherefore he sent them back from Rakkah to Baghdad. The reason of their having been summoned was, that they at first hesitated, but afterwards admitted it through fear. He wrote again to Ishak-b-Ibrahim to summon the jurisconsults, the Shaykhs and the traditionists and to inform them of what the seven had admitted. He did so, and some joined in agreement, while others were recusant and

Yahja-b-Ma'in said, '' we consented through fear of the sword." After- wards he wrote another letter to Ishak, after the manner of the first, and

S « The MS. has (J-'li ^ in place of the (JJjt of the text,

t The MS. has ly* the text w*.

t Lit. one who writes at the dictation of another. It was the custom for the disciples of a master of any science to sit round him and write down the information manuscript records were termed Amali or dictations. Yazid-b- he gave them : these Earun was a famous traditionist of Baghdad. It was through dread of his opposition that al Mamtin hesitated for some time to assert publicly his doctrine on the creation of the :^uran, a doctrine which Yazid strenuously opposed. He was born A. H. 118, died 206. See De Slane I. K. regarding further particulars of his life. The lives of Khali. the others mentioned (except the last) will be found in Ibn [ 324 1

recusant. He therefore A. H. 218. commanded him to summon those who were Ahmad-b-Hanbal, Bishar-b-u'l WaHd A. D. 833. summoned a number among whom were Mukdtil, al Fadhl-b-Ghanim, al Kindi, Abd Hassan az Ziyddi, A'li-b-Abi Sajjadah, TJ'baydu'Uah-b-Omar al Kawariri (the flask-seller), A'li-b-u'l Jaa'd, Ishak- ad Dayyal-b-u'l Haytham, Kutaybah-b-Sa'id, Saa'dawayh al Wasiti, Muhammad-b-Nlih b-Abi Israil, Ibn u'l Haras * Ibn U'layyah the elder, at (the al I'jli, Tahya-b-A'bdu'r Eahman al Omari, Abu Nasr Tammdr and date-seller) Abii Ma'mar al ICatia'i, Muhammad-b-Hatim-b-Maymiin back others, and he showed them the letter of al Mamiin, but they hung and dissembled, neither admitting nor denying. Then he said to Bishar-b- " u'l Walid " what dost thou say ?" he answered verily I have informed " the prince of the Faithful more than once." The other continued, and the what is thy opinion now ? for verily a letter has newly arrived from prince of the Faithful." He answered, " I say, it is the word of God." ?" He rejoined, " I do not ask thee that—is it created Bishar replied, " there is nothing better to say than what I have told thee, besides I have a stipulation with the prince of the Faithful that I need not discuss it." Then Ishak addressed A'li-b-Mukatil, "what dost thou say?" He replied, " the Kuran is the word of God, but if the prince of the Faithful lay on us a command, we hear and obey." Abii Hassan az Ziyadi replied to the same effect. Next he questioned Ahmad-b-Hanbal " what dost thou say ?" He answered " it is the word of God." He asked, " is it created ?" he replied, " it is the word of God, I shall not say more than this." Then he interrogated the rest and recorded their answers. Ibn u'l Baka said, " I declare that the Kurdn was made and brought into existence on the authority of the revealed text to that effect." Ishak said to him " and what is made is created." He replied " yes." " Therefore," said

Ishak, " the Kuran is created." He answered, " I do not say it is created." Then Ishak sent their answers to al Mamun, and a letter from al Mamiin reached him, saying, " what the pretenders to orthodoxy and the seekers after an authority for which they are unfitted have replied, hath reached me. Now whoso doth not admit that the Kuran is created, suspend his exercise of judicial powers and authority to relate tradition." He goes on in his letter. " As to what Bishar sayeth, verily he lieth, for there passed no stipulation between the prince of the Faithful and him,t more than the accounts which the prince of the Faithful has of his belief and sincere profession and assertion that the Kuran is created. Summon him before thee

therefore, and if he recanteth, publish his case abroad, but if he persisteth in his infidelity and denieth, in his impiety and heresy, that the Kurdn is created, smite him on the neck and send his head to me. The same with

» MS. and Itn u'l Athi'r. Harash i^j* t MS. >-^i LS* " in this matter." •

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A. H. 218. Ibr^him-b-u'l Mahdi : question him, and if he assents, it is well, i£ not cut off his head. As for A'li-b-Abi Mukatil, say to him, ' art thou not he who A. D. 833. said to the prince of the Faithful that thou verily canst absolve and bind ?.' As to ad Dayyal, inform him that the grain which he stole from the granaries is what distracts him from other affairs. With regard to Ahmad- b-Yazid-b-i'l A'wam and his saying that he cannot give a better answer concerning the Kuran, tell him that he is a child in mind though not in years—he is ignorant—he will find an answer to his liking when he is better taught ; if he doth not do so, the sword is behind it. As to Ahmad- b-Hanbal, inform him that the prince of the Faithful is aware of the matter of his argument and draws an inference from it, of his ignorance and falsehood. As to Fadhl-b-Ghanim, tell him that it is not unknown to the prince of the Faithful what he was about in Egypt and what wealth he acquired in less than a year—to wit in his ofiice of Kadhi. As for az Ziyadi tell him that he used falsely to claim clientship with a spurious son."* (But Abli Hassan az Ziyadi denied that he was client Jy descent of Ziyad " the son of his father," but that he was called az Ziyadi for other reasons.) As to Abu Na§r the date-seller, verily the prince of the Faithful likeneth the meanness of his intellect to the baseness of his trade. With regard to Ibn Niih and Ibn Hatim inform them that they employ themselves in taking usury, to the hindrance of their knowledge of the divine unity, and if nothing justified the prince of the Faithful in hostility to them in the cause of Q-od, but their usury and what hath been revealed regarding such as they, that alone would justify it, but how much the more when they have added infidelity to usury and have become like the Nazarenes. As to Ibn Shujaa' inform him that the prince of the Faithful was with him but a short time since, and took from him what he took of the property which he authorized unto Ibn Hisham from the substance of the prince of the Faithful. As for Saa'dawayh of Wasit, say to him— " may the Lord bring to shame that man whose pretentiousness in tradition and the craving for authority therein have led him to lie at the time of interrogation. With regard to him known as Sajjadah and his denial that he had heard from those who had conversed with the learned, of the doctrine that the Kur£n is created, tell him that his occupation, and the counting of beads (date stones) and his directions for the adjustment of his prayer- carpet and the deposits made with him by A'li-b-Yahya and others, are what cause him to forget the divine unity. As to the flask-seller, what is

* will be remembered that Mu'awiyab attempted See note §, page 198. It to procure the recognition of Ziyad as the son of Abti Sufyan by Summayya the wife of a Greet slave whom he met in a tavern and ia a fit of drunkenness seduced. The truth of the affliation, however, was doubtful and Ziyad was known or unknown aa the " son of his father," [ 326 ]

A. H. 218. manifest of his circumstances and taking of bribes and presents, sufficiently A, D. 833. reveals his religious profession, his evil course of life and the weakness of his understanding and of his faith. As to Yahya al Omari, if he be a descendant of Omar-b-u'l Khattab, the answer to him is apparent. With regard to Muhammad-b-u'l Hasan-b-A'li-b-A'4'sim, if he foUoweth his ancestors who have passed away, he cannot have professed adherence to the

doctrinal school which is mentioned in connection with him, besides, he is but a lad in need of being instructed. And verily the prince of the Faithful sent to you one known as Abu Mushir, after the prince of the Faithful had subjected him to inquisition on the subject of the Kuran ; —he faltered and hesitated about it, until the prince of the Faithful called for the sword for him when he abjectly yielded. Now interrogate him in the matter of his assent, and if he standeth by it, publish it abroad and

proclaim it, and such as do not draw back from their heresy of those thou hast named after Bishar and Ibn u'l Mahdi, send them bound to the camp of the prince of the Faithful, that he may question them, and if they recant not, he will put them to the sword." The narrator says—" but all of them yielded upon this, save Ahmad-b-Hanbal, Sajjadah, Muhammad-b-Niih and the flask-seller, whereupon Ishak gave orders regarding them and they were put in fetters. Then he questioned them the following day, they being in fetters, and Sajjadah yielded. Again he interrogated them a third time, and the flask-seller submitted, and he sent Ahmad-b-Hanbal

and Muhammad-b-Niih to the Eoman territories.* Afterwards it came to al Mamiin's ear that these had reaUy yielded under compulsion, wherefore he was enraged and summoned them to him, and they were being taken to him when the news of the death of al Mamun reached them before their arrival in his presence. Thus the Lord was merciful to them and banished their fear." Now al Mamdn fell sick in the Eoman territories, and when his illness became serious, he sent for his son A'bbas to be brought to him, and he feared that he would not reach him in time, but he arrived when al Mamdn was in the last distress. And, verily, letters had been already despatched to the provinces containing the following, " From A'bdu'llah al Mamun, and his brother Ishak the Caliph after him, under authority of these presents." Some say that this occurred by order of al Mamiin,

while others assert that they wrote this at a time when a swooning fit was on him. Al Mamiin died on Thursday the 18th Eajab, 218 (^th August 883) at Badandun in the Eoman territories and was carried to Tarsus and there buried. t Al Masa'udi relates that he encamped on the stream of Badan-

* Where the Caliph with his army was at the time.

t Known to the Byzantines under the name of iroBoi'Soi' or ttoSoi'tos. Yakut,

places it at a day's march from Tarsus. Within the fortifications of which is the —

[ 327 ] dun and its coldness and limpidity, the beauty of the place and its'abundant A, H. 218. verdure pleased him. He saw in the stream a fish glittering like silver A. D. 833. which struck him with admiration, but no one could swim in the streani on account of the intensity of its coldness. He therefore offered a sword* to any one who would bring it out An attendant went in and caught it and came out, but it struggled and got away into the water, and the chest and throat of al Mamiin were splashed and his garments drenched. The attendant went in a second time and caught it. And al Mamdn said " let it be fried at once." Shortly after an ague seized him and he was covered up with blankets while he was shivering and crying out.f Then they lighted a fire round him and the fiah was brought, but he could not touch it in his distraction regarding his own condition. After a little he rallied from his sufEering and asked the interpretation of the name of the place in Arabic. " They said, stretch out thy feet," J and he regarding it as an evil omen. Then he asked the name of the country and they said " Eakkah." Now according to the horoscope drawn at his birth, it was foretold that he would die at Kakkah, wherefore he always avoided making a stay at Eakkah, but when he heard this reply from the Romans he knew Ms fate and despaired and said " O Thou whose kingdom never endeth, have mercy on one whose kingdom hath passed away." When the news of his death reached Baghdad, Abu Sa'id al Makhzlimi said

" Hast thou seen the stars protect Mamun and his kingdom firmly established ? They have abandoned him between the two valleys of Tarsus As they abandoned his father at Tus."

At Tha'alabi observes, " there are not known of any father and son among the Caliphs any more distant graves than those of ar Rasliid and al Mamun." He adds, " similarly the sepulchres of five of the sons of al A'bbas are separated by a wide interval of space, the like of which men have not seen, for the tomb of A'bdu'Uah is in Taif, that of U'baydu'llah at Medina, that of al Fadhl in Syria, of Kutham in Samarkand, and of Maa'bad in Africa."

tomb of al Mamun. According to him one of the gates of the town is called the • gate of Badandfin. * Masa'udi, has ''H** " a prize." " !" t The cold ! the cold i:yM ^J^\ Masa'udi. X Podendon—from iroSo and reicai. — —

[ 328 ]

A. H. 218. On some accoiMtts of al Mdmun. A, D. 833. Niftawayh* says that Hamid-b-u'l A'bbAs-b-i'l Wazir related to me " sneezed, but as follows : We were in the presence of al Mamiin when he we did not pray for a blessing upon him, whereupon he said, ' why do ye not pray for a blessing upon me ?' we replied, ' we held thee too exalted, O prince of the Faithful.' He answered, ' I am not one of those monarchs who thinketh himself above prayer.' " Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Muhammad al Tazidi that he said, " I used to instruct al Mamiin, and one day I went to him but he was in privacy, wherefore I sent to him one

of the attendants to inform him of my arrival, but he delayed, and I . sent

again to him and still he tarried, so I said ' this youth often diverts himself with idle trifling.' They replied, ' yes, and withal when he leaves thee, he is ill-tempered with his attendants and they meet with great annoyance from him, therefore set him right with correction.' And when he came out, I ordered him to be brought up and I struck him seven blows with a scourge, and he was rubbing his eyes which were in tears when they

called out, ' Jaa'far-b-Yahya* is coming.' So he took a kerchief and wiped the tears from his eyes and gathered up his garments and went to his

carpet, sat down cross-legged and after a little, said, ' let him come in.' He then entered and I withdrew from the assembly, fearing that he would complain to him of me. Jaa'far then advanced in front of him and conversed with him and made him laugh and went out again. Then I came up and said, ' verily I feared that thou wouldst complain of me to Jaa'far.' He replied, ' O Abli Muhammad, I would not have told ar

Eashid of this, how then Jaa'far ! indeed I am much in need of correc- " tion.' And from A'bdu'llah-b-Muhammad at Taymi that he relates " Ar Rashid designed to make a journey, wherefore he commanded the people to prepare for it and informed them that he would set out at the end of the week, but the week passed and he did not go, so they gathered round al

Mamiin and asked him to obtain information concerning it, wherefore al Mamiin wrote to ar Bashid, who did not know that he could versify, the

following lines ;

" best of those whom a beast of burden conveyeth, And of those whom a saddled charger foUoweth,

Is there an appointed time for the march that we may know it, Or is our order for the march to remain obscure ?

* This famous grammarian was a native of "Wdait where he was born in A. H. 244, he resided at Baghdad and died there A. H. S23. Ibn Khali. For the Kfe and unhappy t end of this famous minister of ar Eashid consult Ibn Khali, and D'Herbelot. [ 339 ]

There is no knowledge of this save with the king, A. H. 218. From his lustre we borrow light in the darkness. A. D. 833. If thou go forth, good guidance will set out following thee And if thou remain, good guidance will be detained with thee." Ar Rashid read them and was pleased with them, and wrote upon " them, O my little son ! what hast thou to do with verse-making,* which is the highest qualification of the base, but the last of the accomplishments of the noble." He also records on the authority of al Asma'i that the impression on the signet ring of al Mamiin was, " the servant of God son of the servant of God." And on that of Muhammad-b-A'bbad, that none of the Caliphs knew the Kuran by heart except Othman-b-A'ffan and al Mamiin. I observe, that I have already refuted this limitation in the remarks that have preceded. He records likewise on the authority of Ibn U'aynahjt that al M&mlin assembled the learned and held a public andience, when there came forward a woman and said, " O prince of the Faithful, my brother died and left six hundred dinars—they have given me but one dinar, saying, " this is thy share." Al Mamiin computed and made the fractional division of the inheritance and said to her, " this is thy portion." The learned said to him, " how dost thou know, prince of the Faithful ?" He said to her, " this man left two daughters." She answered, " yes." He proceeded, " then they have two-thirds, viz., four hundred, and be left a mother, and she has one-sixth, viz., one hundred, and he left a wife and her share is an eighth, viz., seventy-five—and, by Allah, hast thou twelve brothers ?" She said, " yes." He went on—" they get two dinars a piece and one dinar comes to thee." And from Muhammad-b-Hafs al Anmati (the carpet merchant), that he narrates, " we were breakfasting with al Mamiin on a festival day and there were placed upon the table more than three hundred dishes, and every time a dish was served, al Mamun looked upon it and observed, " this is good for such a thing and hurtful for such another. Now if there be among you one who is phlegmatic, let him avoid this, and he among you, who has the yellow bile J let him eat of this, and he who is subject to atrabiliousness, let him not partake of this, and he who desires to eat but little, let him restrict himself to this." Upon this Yahya-b-Aktham§ said to him, " prince of the Faithful, if we were to

• |^»SJ| MS. *^e. t In the printed text for. ^iM^ read The MS. ia here correct,

t According to early notions on this subject the four constituent humours of the body were: f^h phlegm, j^"^^! yellow tile, *Ti>j«"-'l black bile, and (•

§ Yahya-b-Aktham was appointed ?;adhi of Ba§rah by al Mamun in A. H. 202. See I. K. Life of Ibn Abi Duwad.

43, —

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A. H. 218. enter upon the discussion of medicine thou wouldst be a G-alen in the

A,. D. 833. knowledge of it, or of the stars, a Hermes in their computation, or of jurisprudence an A'li-b-Abi Talib in its comprehension, or should liberality

be spoken of, thou wouldst be a Hatim Tai in its description, or the truth of tradition, an Abu Darr in its proof, or generosity a Kaa'b-b-Mamah* in his deeds, or good faith, a Samuel b-A'adiya in fidelity."t Al Mamun was pleased at this speech and said, " verily, man is distinguished by his intellect, and were it not for that, no flesh would be better than other flesh, nor blood than other blood." And from Yahya-b-u'l Aktham—" I never saw a more perfect man than al Mamlin— I once passed a night with him and he awoke and said, 'O Yahya, see what there is near my foot.' I looked but saw nothing. He then called for a candle and the attendants hastened up, and he said,

' search' and they searched and lo ! beneath his quilt was a snake as long as

his body, and they killed it, and I said ' verily the knowledge of the unseen is a further addition to the accomplishments of the prince of the

!' — Faithful He replied ' God preserve me ! no—but a secret monitor called to me but now when I was sleeping and said

" 0, thou who sleepest at night—awake ! !For calamities travel by night. The reliance of a youth on his fortune Is like trusting to loosened fastenings."

And I awoke and knew that something had happened either near or at a distance, and I reflected on what might be near and it was what thou hast " seen.' And from U'marah-b-U'kayl, " Ibn Abi HafjahJ the poet said

* One of the principal chiefs of the trihe of Iy£dh, noted for his liberality. Da Slane, I. K. under Yakut al ^amawi.

t Samuel the son of A'adiya, proverbial among the Arabs for his good feiith. His name is introduced in the 23rd Assembly of al Hariri. The story of his fidelity ia briefly as follows: Imr'u'l Kays having fled from the pursuit of the king of Hira took refuge with Samuel in his castle of al Ablak in Tayma. Thence he proceeded to the court of the emperor Justinian to implore aid against his enemies, leaving with Samuel his daughter and several suits of mail. After various adventures at the Greek court, he died at Ancyra. On his death the prince of Ghassan determined to seize the armour of the warrior poet and besieged Samuel in his castle. Samuel's infant son was by some accident, captured outside the gate and Samuel was offered the choice of surrendering the armour or seeing his child slain. On his refusal to betray his trust the alternative was carried out before his father's eyes. The siege was raised and Samuel had the satisfaction of delivering the armour to the heirs of Imr' u'l lj;ays at the fair of TJ'kadfe. See Chenery's Hariri. Abu'l Feda. Anteislam Hist. p. 133. X Marwan-b-Abi gaf?ah a native of al Yaradma and grandson of Abu Had^ah the Mawla of Marwau-b-u'l ^akam, bom, A. H. 105, died at Baghdad A. H. 182, He —

[ 331 ]

to me, "dost thou know that al Mamiin doth not understand poetry ?" I A. H. 218. replied " who is there that hath a quicker perception of it than he ? by A. D. 833.

Allah, verily did we recite the first line of a verse he would anticipate the end of it without ever having heard it." Ibn Abi Hafsah replied, " verily I recited to him a line which I had well expressed, but I did not see him moved by it—and it was this

The Imam of right guidance, al Mamtin, is employed In the concerns of religion, while men are busy about the world."

I said to him, " thou hast done no more than make of him an old woman in her closet with beads in her hand, for who can rise to the trans- action of worldly affairs, when he is diverted from them by other things and trammelled by them ? Thou hast not spoken as thy uncle spoke of al Walid—

He doth not lose his portion in the world Nor do the things of the world distract him from religion."

Ibn A'sdkir states that he had heard that an Nadhr-b-Shumayl* related as follows : I went to al Mamun when he was at Marv, wearing worn out garments and he said to me, " O Nadhr, dost thou come into the presence of the prince of the Faithful in such garments ?" I replied, " O prince of the Faithful verily the heat of Marv cannot be kept out except by wearing old garments like these." He said, " nay, but thou livest in a miserable way." We then spoke on tradition. At length al Mamiin said, " I heard a tradition from Hushaym-b-Bushayrf on the authority of Ibn A'bbas who related that the apostle of God said, ' when a man marries a woman for her piety and beauty, it is a preventive (sadad) against want.' " I replied " the wordsj of the prince of the Faithful have reported truly the ti'adi-

tanked as a, poet with the first of his age and his best piece is considered his Kasida rhyming in-l-(al Ldrmiyh) composed in honor of Maa'n-h-Zaida aa Shaybani. Ibn; Khali.

* Abii'l Hasan, at Nadhr-b-Shumayl-b-Kharashah-b-Tazid, at Tami'mi was a native of Basrah and celebrated as a grammarian.. He was skilled as a, jurisconsult and traditionist and well acquainted with poetry and the battles of the desert Arabs. He left Basrah, where he found no means of support and settled al Marv and acquired great wealth. The story in the text is given in Ibn Khali, with some variation. An Nadhr died A. H. 204 (A. D. 820). high reputation tradi- t Hushaym-b-Bushayr a native of Wasit acquired a as a tionist at Baghdad. He knew by-heart twenty thousand of them. Died A. H. 183-

(799) at the age of 79. De Slane ; Ibn KhaU. here cri^^*-'! ^"1 k and the Kitab u'l I Ibn Khall's version has C^ t5*'« ^jS<^ Agh&ni, (in the life of tJamzah-b-Baipi) l^J*^\ ^'•t ^ without the mention of Hushaym. : — —

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A. H. 218. tion from Hushaym. It was related to me by A'uP al A'ard.bi* on the A. D. 833. authority of al Hasan that the prophet said, ' when a man marries a woman for her piety and beauty, it is a preventive (sidad) against want.' Al Mamdn was at the time lecturing, but sat up then and exclaimed, ' is eadad a mispronunciation, O Nadhr ?' I said, ' yes here, but undoubtedly a mispronunciation of Hushaym's, for he was an incorrect speaker.' He asked, ' what is the difference between the two ?' I answered, ' Sadad means, following a right course of action, and sidad, what is necessary to support life and whatever thou mayest stop up a thing with.' He said, ' do the Arabs (of the desert) know this distinction ?' I replied ' yes, al A'rji,t a descendant of Othman-b-A'ffian, says as follows

They have left me to perish and what a youth have they left to perish One who coitld have helped them in an evil day or in the defence " (sid£d) of a breach.'

Al Mamdn looked down for a little and then said, " the Lord confound those who have no education." After a little he said, " recite to me, O Nadhr the most captivating verse composed by the Arabs." I replied

the lines of Ibn £aidh;( on al Hakam-b-Marw^ : " She says to me with sleepy eyes

Stay with us ; but I did not stay, ' Which of the chiefs hast thou visited ?' I said to her ' What chief but al Hakam !' Whenever the two chamberlains§ of his tent, say

' This is Ibn Baidh at the door,' be smiles Verily I paid in advance in regard to thee, as a pledge Come,|| let him enter and give me my earnest money." He continued—" recite to me the verse expressive of the greatest

* A'uf-b-A'bi Jamxla Btcmaiued al Aa'rabi (the deseit Arab) b<»e a &ii reputation as a traditioniat. t A'bdu'llah-'b-A'inr al A'rji, a graEdson of the Caliph Othman: his life extracted from as Suyuti's Shar^ Shawkhidul Mughni, is given hy De Saoy in his Anthologie

Giammaticale, p. 453. De Slaue ; Ibn Khali. A notice oi him will aJso be found in the Kitdb ul Aghfini. J Uamzah-b-Baidfh al 9anafi was one of the best poets of the TJmayyad dynasty as well as one of the most licentious. He was a native of Kufah and eulogised al Muhallab and his son, also Abfai-b-u'I WaL'd and the ^idj^i Bil41-b-Abi Burdah. He received large rewards from them. A long notice of him will be found in the

Kitab u'l Agh&ni, where the verses in the text are also given. He did not live till the accession to power of the Abbaside dynasty,

l+*''^" { For m?4 ^^ The M;S. are li text and here in error. It should be as in the Eitib u'l Aghini— [ 833 ] justice of conduct, which the Arabs have spoken." I repeated the lines A. H. 218. of Ibn A'rdbah* of Medina— A. D. 833.

" Verily, though the son of my uncle were to chide, I would thrust away such as came behind and after him. And my wealtbf should aid him, even were he a man Far remote in his land and sky. And I should be the lord of his secret and preserve it Until there seized me a yearningj for the time of its fulfilment. And if misfortunes injured his camels at pasture My healthy camels should join his afflicted with mange. And were he to call me by name to ride a steed

That was refractory, I would sit on his back for him. And were he to come on his way and on his own affairs I would not look into what was behind his tent. And were he to wear a handsome garment, I should not say Would that upon me were the beauty of his mantle."

He said, " now recite to me a verse of the Arabs, most expressive of content." Upon which I quoted the lines of Ibn A'bdal al Asadi— " Verily I am a man who continues (and that By the favour of God) being well instructed, to teach polite learning.

I remain at home while home is free from disquiet to me. And if I am far away, I am cheerful. I grasp not at the friendship of a friend nor

Make my mind desire a thing after it hath passed away. I seek myself what a generous man seeketh Of the means of subsistence and am moderate in my desire thereof. Verily I behold a generous man when

I seek a benefit of him, eager to grant it. But the slave pursueth not what is lofty nor Giveth ought to thee save in fear. Like an ass, galled in the back§ and vicious,

Which is good for nothing untU it is beaten.

* For (J4^\ read t*^"^' as in the E. A. De Slane states that he was a traditionist of Ba?rah. Died A. H. 156.

t For LffJ^ read (as in the MS. and Kitah u'l Aghani) ^SJ^ t t5^ L^ fc*** Kitab u'l Aghani.

hemistich t^'jJf jl**'l J*« § The MS. and Kitab u'l Aghani have in the first

H 3**Jl. The text is here in error. In the second hemistich the K. A. has lJ-*J=! for ay^- —

[ 334 ]

A. H. 218. And I have found no firm stay* save A. D. 833. Religion, from what I have experienced, and nobility of race. Verily he who stays tranquilly at home is nourished, who never Hath bound pack or saddle on his camel, While support of existence is withheld from the owner of the camel and pack And one who never ceases to travel."

Al Mamiin exclaimed, " thou hast said well, Nadhr !" He then took

a piece of paper and wrote something I know not what : then he observed, " How do you form the imperative from turdb !"' (earth or dust). I said

" atrib,"f (cover him with earth or dust). " And of t'ln ?" (elay). I said, "tin" (plaster or seal up). He went on, "what then would a writing be ?" I said " mutrab, (sprinkled with dust) or matin," (plastered or sealed with clay). He exclaimed, "better and better," and he wrote for me an order for fifty thousand dirhams. Then he commanded an attendant to take me to al Padhl-b-Sahl, and I went with him and when al Fadhl read the writing, he exclaimed, " O Nadhr, didst thou charge the prince of the Faithful with a mispronunciation ?" I said, " by no means, but Hushaym spoke very incorrectly and the prince of the Faithful did but foUow his words." Then he ordered me on his own account thirty thousand dirhams, thus I set forth for my house with eighty thousand." Al Khatib records on the authority of Muhammad-b-Ziyad the desert " Arab, that he relates as follows : Al Mamun sent for me and I went to him, and he was in the garden walking with Yahya-b-Aktham, and I saw the two moving with their faces turned from me, so I sat down, and when they came forward, I arose and saluted him as Caliph and I heard him say

' to Yahya, O Abu Muhammad how good are his manners ! He saw us turned from him and sat down, and then seeing us advance, he arose and returned me my salutation.' Then he said ' tell me regarding the verse of Hind the daughter of U'tbahJ We are the daughters of Tarik Moving upon cushions with the walk of the desert grouse.*

* hj' is the loop-shaped handle of the water sTdn and *»^ its suspensory thong. " •.yJ t The text points the word itrah," but the simple triliteral form is in-

transitive and the transitive derived conjugation (IV.) is here meant (JLmI) as is clear from Ihn Khalli^an's narrative where, after the words ' hotter and better,' al Mamun *^^ (•il* says boy, earth, him, and plaster him j *J^I k The text has likewise erroneously " mutayyan for matin.

X "Wife of Abu Suf5'4n and mother of Mu'dwiyah. The words were Used by her on the day of Ohud, quoting proverbially tho saying of az Zarkd al lyddhiyali when

Kisrah warred with lyddh. Lane gives the following version (3j'-'= ; t^^5'

Cj wl ,^1^ j^.Uj J./ciy "We are the daughters of tho morning star, wo bond not to a [ 335 1

'Who is this Tarifc? for I have looked in her pedigree and found him A. H. 218. not.' I replied, ' O prince of the Faithful I do not know of him in her A. D. 833. pedigree.' He answered ' assuredly she meant by it the star, claiming descent from it on account of her beauty—according to the words of the Most High. " By the heavens and the nocturnal star.' " (Kur. LXXXVI.) I said, ' corroborate that ly proof, prince of the Faithful.' He rejoined, ' I know it perfectly well.' Then he threw to me a piece of amber -which he was turning about in his hands and I sold it for five thousand dirhams." And from Abu U'badah* who says, that al Mdmiin was one of the greatest sovereigns of the earth and that this title was justly due to him. And from Ibn Abi Dauiid that one of the schismatics came before al Mdmun, and he said to him, " what induced thee to oppose us ?" He answered, "a verse of the Book of God." Al Mamun said " and which is that ?" He replied, " the words of the Most High, ' and who so judgeth not according to what God hath revealed, they are infidels' (Kur. V)." The Caliph asked " hast thou any certain knowledge that this was revealed ?"

He replied " Yes." " And what is thy proof ?" " The consensus of the people." Al Mamtin replied " then as thou art content with their agreement concerning the revelation, be content with their unanimity in the interpretation thereof." The other said, "thou hast spoken truly, peace be to thee. O prince of the Faithful." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Muhammad-b-Man§ur that al MAmiin said, " one of the signs of a man of distinction is that he will ill-treat one who is above him, and will suffer one who is beneath him to ill-treat him." And from Sa'id-b-Muslim that al Mamiin said, " I would that those who commit crimes were aware of my conception of pardon, that fear might leave them and joy be unmixed in their hearts." And from Ibrahim-b-Sa'id al Jauhari, that a man stood before al Mamun who had committed a crime, and he said to him, "by Allah, I will slay thee !" He replied, " O prince of the Faithful act gently in regard to me for compassion is the half of mercy." He replied, " how can I ? now that I have

sworn to slay thee." He answered, " it is better to meet God as a perjurer than to meet Him as a slayer,"—upon which al Mamiin let him go his way. Al Khatib records from Abu's Salt A'bdu's Salam-b-i's Salih that he narrates as follows, " I passed the night with al Mamian and the attendant

lover &c. Two other lines with variations of the others will he found in Ibn Hisham used by Hind as an encouragement to the youths going to battle at Ohud.

j3j 'jJ'.'*"' cj' (3^^ \j^^ ii)i If ye advance we shall embrace ye. If ye fly, we shall abandon ye. * Probably Abli U'bfidah al Buhturi the poet, the friend and contemporary of Abu Tanunam the author of the Hamaeah; his Ufe will be found in Ibn Khali. "

[ 336 I

arose and trimmed A. H. 21 8. who used to trim the lamp went to sleep, and al Mdmun ' the A. D. 833. it and I heard him say, I am sometimes in the bath-room when servants are reviling and traducing me, not knowing that I hear them but I forgive them.' " As Sdli records on the authority of A'bdu'llah-b-u'l Bawwab that he said, " al Mamiin was so forbearing that he used to enrage us. On one occasion he sat cleaning his teeth behind a curtain on the banks of the Tigris— and we were standing before him, when a boatman passed and said ' do ye imagine that this al Mamun hath any worth in my ?' eyes, when verily he hath put to death his own brother —and, by Allah, he did nothing more than smile and say to us, ' what contrivance have ye, ?' that I may have merit in the eyes of this excellent man Al Khatib records on the authority of Tahya-b-Akhtham that he narrates as follows, " I never knew a man more noble than al Mamun. I passed a night with him and he was seized with coughing and I saw him close his mouth with his sleeve, so that I might not awake, and he used to say that the beginning of equitable dealing is that a man should be just to his intimate friends, then to those who are nearest to them in succession, until he reaches the lowest grade." Ibn A'sdkir records from Yahya-b-Khalid al Barmaid that he relates, " al Mamiin said to me, O Yahya take every opportunity of satisfying the needs of men, for the heavens are too inconstant and fortune too unjust, to leave a man in one condition and continue unto him his enjoyments." And from A'bdu'Uah-b-Muhammad az Zuhri,—" al Mamiin said, ' superiority in argument is more pleasing to me than superiority of force, for superiority of force vanishes by its decay, whil^ superiority in argument nothing can destroy.' " And from U'tbi, " I hfeard al Mamun say, ' he who praiseth thee not for goodness of intention will not thank thee for excellence of deed.' " And from Abu'l A'aliyah, "I heard al Mamiin say,

' how odious is contentiousness in monarchs, and more odious than that, is vexation in judges, before comprehension of what is before them, and more odious than it, is the shallowness of jurisconsults in religion, and more odious still is avarice in the rich, jesting in old men, idleness in youths " and cowardice in soldiers.' And from A'li-b-Abdi'r Eahim al Marwazi, that al Mamiin said, " he, of all men is most unjust to himself, who draweth near to one who keeps him at a distance, and abaseth himself before one who honoureth him not and receiveth the praise of one whom he doth not know." And from al Mukhdrik,* " I recited to al Mdmlin the words of Abd'l A'tdhiyah."

• He was one of the first singers of his time. He once sung in the presence of the Oaliph ar Tlashid who was so delighted, that he caused the curtains usually placed between himself and the musicians to he removed, and ordered him to draw near and sit on the throne hy his side. Ee was afterwards attached to the service of al Mamun [ 337 ]

" I am in need of the protection of a master, A. H. 218.

Who is compassionate and who is unrufl3.ed though I trouble him." A, D. 833. He said to me, " repeat it," and I repeated it seven times, whereupon he exclaimed, " O Mukharik,' take the Caliphate from me and give me such a master."

And from Hudbah-b-Khdlid, " I was at breakfast with al Mamdn, and when the table was taken away, 1 began to gather up what was on the ground, and al Mamun looked at me and said, ' hast thou not had enough ?'

I replied, ' yes, but Hammad-b-Salamah told me on the authority of Anas that he had heard the apostle of God say,—whoso eateth what is under the table is secure from poverty : whereupon he ordered me a thousand dinars.' " And from al Hasan-b-A'bdtis as SaflEar (the brazier), that when al Mamiin married Baran, the daughter of al Hasan-b-Sahl, the people sent presents to al Hasan, and a poor man sent him two wallets in one of which was salt and in the other glasswort and wrote to him at the same time, saying, " May I be sacrificed for thee—these goods of little worth fall short of the extent of my desire, but I was unwilling that the scroll of the beneficent

should be folded up and no mention of my name within it, therefore have

I sent unto thee what is commenced with,* on account of the auspiciousness

and blessing of it, and what is concluded with, by reason of its goodness and cleansing properties." Al Hasan took the two wallets and went with them to al Mamun, who was pleased thereat and ordered them to be emptied and filled with dinars. As Suli records on the authority of Muhammad-b-u'l Kasim that he had heard al Mamiin say, " by Allah, I delight in pardon to such an extent, that I fear I may not be rewarded

on account of it, and if men knew the extent of my love of pardoning, they would come to me guilty of crimes." Al Khatib records on the authority of al Manstir al Barmaki, that ar Eashid possessed a slave girl whom al Mamun loved, and once while she was pouring out water for ar Rashid from a vessel she held, al Mamiin who was behind him, made a sign of a kiss to her, and she reproved him with her eyebrows and delayed in pouring out the water. Hariin looked at

her and said, " what is this ?" and she faltered in her answer to ar Rashid. Whereupon he said—" if thou dost not tell me, I will certainly put thee to death." She replied, " A'bdu'llah made a sign to me of a kiss." Harun

looked towards him, and lo ! shame and fear so fell upon him that it made Hariin take pity on him, and he embraced him and said, " dost thou love her ?" He said, " yes." He answered, " rise and take her into that room."

and accompanied him to Damascus. He died A. H. 230 (844-5). He was surnamed Abu'l Hina. De Slane, I. K. * The Arabs heginning their meals by tasting salt and using glasswort to wash their hands with. 43 —— —— —

[ 338 ]

A. H. 218. And, he arose and as he went, ar Rashid said to him, ' say a verse on A. D. 833. this' and he recited

" A gazelle, I hinted with my glance As to my feelings to her.* I kissed her from afar. But she made excuses with her lips, And returned the best of answers By the contraction of her eye-brows. But I did not quit my place Before I obtained possession of her."

Ibn 'Asakir records on the authority of Abu Khalifah al Fadhl-b-

" ' Habab, that he narrates, I heard a slave-dealer say as follows : I showed a slave girl to al Mamlin, skilled in versifying, eloquent, well-bred and a good chess-player, and I asked of him a thousand dinars as her price, and he said, " if she can cap a verse I will recite to her by a verse of her own, I will purchase her for what thou askest, and will give thee over and above the bargain," and al Mamiin recited

' What wilt thou say regarding one whom sleeplessness hath emaciated Through the strength of his love for thee, so that he became distracted.'

And she capped it thus

' When I find a lover whom hath smitten " The sickness of love, I will show him kindness.'

As Suli from al Husayn al Khalii' that he narrates as follows, " when al Mamiin was angered with me and stopped my stipend, I composed a

poem wherein I praised him and gave it to one who conveyed it to him." The beginning of it is " Eeward me, for I thirst for the promise : When wilt thou fulfil the promise confirmed by vow ? I fly to thee for protection from the breach of faith of princes, and verily thou seest That I die for love of thee. Will he who is incomparable in goodness, grudge me A slender gift? and verily I alone have given him an incomparable love." &e., until he says

" The Lord found A'bdu'llah the best of His servants, And he gave him sovereignty and God knoweth His servants best. Now surely al Mamun is a defence unto his people Distinguishing between error and right guidance."

* The pronoun is here in the mascvilino, the reason of which has been heforo explained. [ 339 ]

" Al Mamdn observed ' verily he hath done well, save that he is the A. H. 218. author of the following : A. D. 833.

' mine O eyes ! rain abundantly and weep over Muhammad (al-Amin) And spare not thy tears over him and give your aid. May public affairs fail of success after Muhammad And the unity of the kingdom not cease to be divided. May al Mamdn not enjoy the kingdom after him. And not cease to be an exile in the world and a fugitive.'

This then is against the other and I have nothing for him. " The chamberlain " said, where, then, is the prince of the E'aithful's practice of pardon ?" He replied, " well as to that, why, yes," and he ordered him a present and restored to him his stipend.

And from 'Ulayyah Hammad-b-Ishak, that when al Mamun went to Baghdad, he held inquiry into wrongful exactions every day until noon. And from Muhammad-b-u'l 'Abbas, that al Mamiin was very fond of chess and used to say, " this sharpens the intellect," and he originated some moves in it. He used to say, " I will never hear any one say, 'come let us play,'— but, ' let us fall on, let us press one another.' " However he did not excel in it, and he would exclaim, " I have the administration of the world and am equal to it, whereas I am straitened in the ordering of a space two spans by two spans."

And from Ibn Abi S'aid, that Di'bil* satirized al Mamiin saying : " I belong to the same tribe as those whose swords Slew thy brother and raised thee to the throne. They exalted thy fame after its long abasement And drew thee forth from the depth of thy degradation."

When al Mamiin heard it, he did no more than say " what little shame

hath Di'bil ! when was I obscure who indeed have been reared in the lap of Caliphs?" and he did not punish him. As Suli states also from various sources that al Mamiin used to drink date-wine. And on the authority of Jahidh, that the associates of al Mamiin used to assert that the colour of his face and of his body was the same except his legs which were yellow as if anointed with saffron. And from Ishak of Mosul, that al Mamiin said, " the sweetest of songs

* Abu A'li D'itil-b-Ali'l Khuzaa'f, was a good poet, but addicted to satire and scurrility, always ready to slander mem of merit, not sparing even the Caliphs. Ibra- him-b-u'l Mahdi was so irritated at one of his cutting verses, that he complained to al Mamun who counselled him to put up with it in silence as he himself had done in regard to the lines quoted in the text which are given by Ibn Khali. D'ibil was born A. H. 148, and died at Tib near Wasit A. H, 2i6. Ibn KhaU. His life will also be found in the Kitab u'l Aghani. —

[ 340 ]

over. A. H. 218. is that which, the hearer, whether it be well or ill sung, rejoiceth A. D. 833. And from 'Ali-b-i'l Husayn that Muhammad-b-Hamid* was standing over al Mamun while he was drinking^ when Gharib broke forth and sang a verse of an Nabighah al Jaa'di's. " Like the hem of the striped garment of Yaman." Whereupon al Mamdn suspected that she did not begin without a reason and the company " were silent. He therefore said, may I be repudiated by ar Eashid ! but

if I am not told truly regarding this, I will cause the culprit to confess with grievous blows and will punish him heavily, but if I am told the truth, I will forward the true speaker's desire." Whereupon Muhammad-b-Hamid replied, " my lord, I made signs of a kiss to her." He rejoined, " now comes the truth, thou hast spoken truly, dost thou wish that I should marry thee to her?" He answered, "yes." Then al Mamiin said, "praise be to God the Lord of all creatures, and may God bless our chief Muhammad and his offspring—verily I give in marriage unto Muhammad the son of Hamid, my freedwoman Gharib and I assign her as a dowry from him four hundred dirhams with the blessing of God and by the ordinance of the prophet. Take her hand," and she arose with him. Then al Mu'atasim " brokerage !" He went to the threshold and said to Ibn —Hamid, the replied, " it is thine"—The other said " my brokerage is that she must sing to me during the night." And she continued to sing to him till the morning and Ibn Hamid at the door. Then she arose, took his hand and departed with him. And from Ibn A'bi Dauud, that the Roman Emperor sent a present to al Mamiin of two hundred pounds of musk and two hundred skins of sable, and al Mamun said, " double the gift for him that he may know the splendour of Islam." And from Ibrahim- b-u'l Hasan that al Madaini told al Mamiin that Mu'awiyah said, " the Band Hashim are lions and swift to wrath, but we are more numerous in chiefs." Al Mamun replied, '' verily he hath made an admission and

adduced a claim ; he is therefore, in his claim, a plaintifE, and in his admission a defendant." As Siili likewise records on the authority of Abut Hsamah that he narrates as follows,—" one of my companions told me that Ahmad-b-Abi Khalidf was once reading stories to al Mamiin and said, " a certain at

* De Slane in a note to the life of AM Tammdm mentions a Muljammad-b-Hamid at Tusi, a son of one of al Mamun's principal generals who fell in battle against Babak al Khurrami in Adarbijdn A. H. 214. He is mentioned as renowned for his Uberality

and that his death gave great pain to al Mamun. It is probably the same person, the accent on the name being misplaced in one or other version. t The MS. has Ibn Abi tJsfimah, of whieh name there are two, at Tamimi, n traditionist and al Halabi, a disciple of the poet an Ndmi. Abu Usdmah Junfidah was a philologer of distinction who died A. H. 399. J Ahmad-b-Abi KhAHd al Ahwal was vizier to al Mimun and al Mua'tasim, succeeding al Fadhl-b-Saljl in that post. Ho was a man of great intelligence and —

[ 341 ]

' Tharidi"* (it being al Yazidi) and al Mdmtin laughed and called out ho ! A. H. 218. page, bring some food to Abu al A'bbas for verily he is hungry'—and he A. D. 833. was ashamed and said, ' I am not hungry but the author of the story is a dunce, for he has pointed the ya ((^) with the points of the ih (>i)).' Al Mamun exclaimed, ' never mind.' And they brought food and he eat until he had done. Then he went on and came to the story of a certain al Hamsi, instead of which he said, al Khabisi,t whereupon

' al Mamlin laughed and called out, ho ! boy, a dish of Khabis.' Ahmad said, ' verily the author of the story was a fool, for he hath made an open mim ((*) and it is as, if there were two dots.' Al Mamun laughed and said, ' were it riot for the incorrectness of those two words, thou would'st have remained hungry.' " And from Abu A'bbad that he said, " I do not think that God ever created a disposition more excellent than that of al Mamlin nor one more generous, and in truth he was aware of the gluttony of Ahmad-b-Abi Khalid, so that .whenever he sent him on any business, he gave him his breakfast before he sent him. It was represented to him in a case that if he, the prince of the Faithful, saw fit to settle some provision upon Ibn Abu Khalid, it would he well, as he was in the habit of favouring the more powerful party for the sake of his entertainment, wherefore al Mamiin settled upon him a thousand dirhams a day for his table, yet notwithstanding, he would desire greedily to eat at the expense of others. ' Di'bil the poet has said regarding this

" We thank the Caliph for the settlement Of a maintenance upon the son of Abu Khalid. Thus he hath restrained his tyranny over the Muslims And given him his occupation at home."

And from Ibn AbiDauu.d,J " I heard al Mamiin say to a man 'whether thy conduct be marked with perfidy or with token of good, I will not hold thee responsible for either ; thou wilt not cease to do evil, and I to do good, and thou to be in fault and I to forgive until it shall be pardon itself that shall amend thee,' " And from al Jahidh that Thumamah-b-u'l Ashras§ foresight and expressed himself elegantly in speech. He died A, H. 240. See De Slane's correction of D. Herhelot's error regarding this Wazir. Vol. I, p. 20. * Tharid signifies sliced tread in milk or broth with meat. t Khabis is a kind of sweetmeat. % I am of opinion that this name should be Ibn Abi Duad, the Kadhi who died in 240 A. H. Ibn Abi Dauud the Hafidh died in 316. It is scarcely probable that he could have heard and remembered speeches of al M£mlin's in 218.

§ Abu Maa'n Thmnamah-b.u'l Ashras surnamed al Majin or the licentious for his disorderly life. Al Mamfin met him once in the street in a state of intoxication and said to him, " is it you Thumamah P" " Yes P" " Are you drunk P" No. " Do you know me ?" " Yes.'' "Who am I ?" " I don't know." This threw the Caliph into such a fit of laughter that he nearly fell off his horse. He died A. H. 213. De Slaue, I. K. [ 34a ]

A. H. 218. said, " I have never seen any one more eloquent than Jaa'far-b-Yahya al A. D. 833. Barmaki and al Mamun." As Silafi records in the Tuyytiriydt on the authority of Hafs al Madiani, that a negro who pretended to the gift of prephecy was brought before al Mamtin and said, " I am Moses the son of Imran," and al Mamun said to him, " verily Moses the son of Imran drew forth his hand from his bosom white, therefore draw forth thy hand white, that I may believe in thee." The negro replied, " surely that was done by Moses

when Pharaoh said to him, ' I am thy most High God.' Therefore say as Pharaoh said, that I may draw out my hand white, otherwise it will not become white." Also that al Mamun said, " a revolt has never broken out against me, but I found the cause of it in the tyranny of the prefects." Ibn A'sakir records on the authority of Yahya-b-A'ktham, that al Mam«n used to preside at a disputation on questions of jurisprudence every Tuesday, and there came a man wearing a garment which he had tucked up, and holding his shoes in his hand and he stopped on, the border of the carpet and said, " peace be to you." Al Mamiin returned his salutation and the other said, "tell me regarding this seat which thou occupiest—dost thou sit there* with the unanimous consent of the people or by violence and force?" He replied, " neither the one nor the other, but one who governed the afEairs of the Muslims bequeathed it to me and to my brother, and when the authority devolved upon me, I felt that I needed the unanimous consent of the Muslims in the east and the west in accepting me, but I saw that if 1 abandoned the government, the security of Islam would be disturbed, and their afEairs fall into confusion, and that they would contend in strife one with another, so that holy wars and pilgrimages would be neglected, and the highways infested with robbers, wherefore I arose in defence of the Muslims, until they should be of accord upon one man whom they should approve, and I would then resign the government to him : now when they agree upon a man, I will abdicate in his favour." The man replied, " peace be to you and the mercy of God and his blessing," and he departed. And from Muhammad-b-u'l Mundir al Kindi, that ar Rashid, being upon the pilgrimage entered Kiifah and summoned the Traditionists, and none stayed away but A'bdu'Uah-b- Idris, and Isa-b-Yunas. He sent al Amin and al Mamun to them, and Ibn Idris related to them one hundred traditions, and al Mamun said, " " O uncle ! Suffer me to repeat them by heart." He answered, do so," and he repeated them and Ibn Idris marvelled at his memory. Some author states that al Mamiin took away books of philosophy and works of Grecian writers from the islands of Cyprus. This much ad Dahabi briefly narrates. Al Fakahi says that the first who covered the Kaa'bah with white brocade was al Mamun, and this continued to be the custom

* 1 profor to read, i^>-^ aa in the MS. for *-»-l.^ —

[ 34.3 ] after him till tlie time of the Caliph an Nasir, save when Mahraiid the A. H- 218. son of Sabaktagin during the interval, covered it with yellow brocade, A. D. 833, The following are among the sayings of al Mamiin. " There is no pleasure greater than that of observing the intellects of men. Stra- tagem is of no avail to turn back an affair when it advances, or to advance it where it is retrogressing. The best of conferences is where one gets an insight into men. Men are of three classes. Those who are as nourishment, necessary under all circumstances ; those who are like medicine, necessary on occasion of sickness, and those who are like diseases, hateful under every condition. The answer of none has ever embarrassed me, as the answer of a man of the people of Kiifah embarrassed me, whom its inhabitants sent to me and he complained against their governor. I replied, " thou liest, for he is a just man." He said, " the prince of the Faithful hath spoken truly and I have lied : verily thou hast specially chosen him for us in this city, to the exclusion of other cities, now appoint him to another city that he may encompass them with his equity and justice as he hath encompassed us." I said, *' rise, and be off, verily I shall remove him, from over you."

The following are among the lines of al Mamiin : " My tongue concealeth your secrets And my tell-tale tear is an informer of my secret. Were it not for my tears, I should conceal my love. Yet were it not for love, I should have no tears." And on chess " A square field of red-dressed leather too friends for generosity Between known ; They call war to mind and invent stratagems therein, Without being guilty of shedding blood there. This one attacks that, and that Falls upon this, and the eye of caution sleepeth not. See then the ingenious foes moving with skill Among two armies without drum or banner." As Suli records on the authority of Muhammad-b- A'mr, that Asram-b- Humayd* presented himself before al Mamiin with whom was al Mua'tasim, and the Caliph said " describe me and my brother and give no preference

to either over his fellow ;" whereupon he versified after a little :

" I saw a ship sailing upon a sea. Towards two seas, beyond which are other seas,

* This individual is mentioned in Ibn Khall's life of A'bdu'Uah-b-Tahir, as the author of some verses quoted, but no other information is given of him. ;

[ 344 ]

A. H. 218. Towards two princes whose splendours both, A. D. 833. Are equal, at whom the beholder is confounded.

They are two Princes ; this resembles that, And that this, and that and this are chiefs If this were that and that this In this and that together would be my delight. _ A canopy of glory is extended over the one

And the face of the other is a shining moon."

Traditions related on the authority of al M&mun.

Al Bayhaki mentions on the authority of Jaa'far-b-Abi Othman at Tayalisi that he relates as follows, " I was praying the afternoon prayer at ar Eu?afah behind al Mamun in the enclosed space of the mosque on the day of A'rafah, and when he pronounced the salutation the people responded with the Takbir, and I saw al Mamtin behind the railing exclaiming, " no, O

people ! no people ! to-morrow is the day prescribed by Abu'l Kasim {Muhammad)." And when the day of Adha {lOth I>ul Hijjah) arrived, I went forth to prayers and he ascended the tribune and praised God and glorified Him and said, " God is exceeding great, and frequent be the praise of God, and I extol the perfections of God morning and evening !" Hushaym-b- Bushayr related to me on the authority of Abu Burdah-b-Din4r that the apostle of God said, " he who performeth sacrifice before he prayeth,

assuredly it is a flesh ofEering which he hath anticipated before its time, but who so performeth sacrifice after he hath prayed, verily he fulfiUeth the ordinance. God is exceeding great, and frequent be the praise of God and I extol the perfections of God morning and evening. O Lord, amend me and seek to render me virtuous, and amend others through me." Al Hakim says, " I have copied this tradition only from Abu Ahmad who is in my opinion a trustworthy authority, and it continued to occupy my thoughts until I mentioned it to Abu'l Hasan ad Darakutni who observed, 'this relation is, in my opinion, soundly transmitted from Jaa'far.' I said, ' does any corroborative authority follow our Shaykh Abu Ahmad in this ?' He said, ' yes' and recited a tradition from the Wazir Abu'l Fadhl Jaa'far-b-u'l Furat through Jaa'far at Tayalisi to Yahya-b- M'ain* who said that he had heard al Mamdn and mentioned the discourse and the tradition."

* Abfi Zakariya Yahya-b-M'ain was a native of Baghdad, a celebrated ^iifidh and noted for the exactitude of his traditional information, On his death, he left one hundred and thirty cases and four water-jar stands filled with books. Aljmad-b-^anbal used to declare that any tradition unknown to Ibn Ma' in was not a true tradition, [ 345 ]

As Suli states that Yabya-b-Ma'in says as follows: " Al Mdmiin A. H. 218. preached to us at Baghdad on a Friday which happened to coincide with A. D. 833. the day of A'rafah, and when he came to the salutation, the people shouted the Takbir, but he disapproved of the Takbir and he leaped up and seized

the wooden rail of the enclosure and said, ' people, this Takbir should not be said out of its place. I have heard from Hushaym on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that the apostle of God used to continue the Talbiyat until he had thrown stones at the Jamrat* u'l 'Akabah, and the Takbir was

pronounced on the morrow at midday at the close of the Talbiyat, if God so willeth."

And that Ibrahim al Mosuli says, " we were with al Mdmiin when

a man stood before him and said, ' prince of the Faithful, the apostle of God said —creatures are the household of God, and the most pleasing

of the servants of God unto God (may He be honored and glorified) is he who

most profiteth His household.' Al Mamiin cried out and said, ' be silent, I

am more learned in tradition than thou art : Yusuf-b-A'tiah, the brazier told me on the authority of Thabit-b-Anas that the prophet said—creatures are the household of God, and the most pleasing of the servants of God unto God, is he who most profiteth His household.' "f Ibn 'Asa'kir records this by the same ascription. As Siili also mentions that he had heard a tradition on the authority of 'Abdu'l Jabbar-b-'Abdu'Uah who relates—" I heard al Mamiin preaching and he spoke in his discourse of modesty and he described and praised

it and said, ' Hushaym told me on the authority of Abu Bakrahf and Imran-b-Husayn that the apostle of God said—modesty is a part of faith and faith hath its portion in Paradise, while obscenity is brutishness, and

and that he was created for the express purpose of exposing false ones. He said of himself that he had written quantities of traditions under the dictation of liars and made use of the paper for heating his oven. I thus obtained, he added, one advantage that of having bread well- baked. He died A. D. 233. • Vulgarly called the Shaytan u'l Kabir or Great Devil. Another pillar is the Wuata or central place of stoning built in the middle of Muna and there is a third at the eastern end called al TJla. These mark the successive spots where the devil in the shape of an old Shaykh appeared to Adam, Abraham and Ishmael and was driven back by the throwing of stones, the size of a bean, as enjoined by Gabriel. This Jamrat u'l Akabah is a dwarf buttress of masonry about 8 feet high by 2J placed against a rough wall of stones at the Mecoan entrance to Muna. Burton's Mecca, p. 282. t The parenthetical sentence of the first speaker was apparently an incorrect transmission. t Abu Bakrah Nufai-b-u'l Harith was a companion of Muhammad's, who named him Abu Bakrah or the father of the pulley, because he let himself down by a puUey from the castle of Taif when it was attacked by the Muslims in A. H. 8. I'mran-b- IJusayn al Khuzaa'i was also a Companion, became Kadhi of Basrah and died there A. H. 53. De Slane; I. K. [ 346 ]

" mentions on the A. H. 218. brutishness hath its portion in hell fire.' Al Hdkim Kadhi, that he says as follows—" Al A. D. 833. authority of Yahya-b-Aktham the Mamdn said to me one day, ' O Tahya, I wish to relate traditions.' I ?' replied, ' and who is fitter for this than the prince of the Faithful

' ascended it and the first He said, let them place a tribune for me,' and he tradition he gave us was through Hushaym from Abu Hurayrah that the — hell :' then he prophet said ' Imr u'l Kays is the leader of the poets in related about thirty traditions and afterwards descended and said, ' O Yahya what dost thou think of our lecture ?' I replied, ' a most excellent lecture, O prince of the Faithful thou hast instructed high and low.' He

' !' answered, no ! by thy life I observed no pleasure that you took in with thread-bare garments and ink-horns." it : a lecture is for men Al Khatib says that he was told on the authority of Ibrdhim-b-Sa'id

al Jauhari that when al Mamun conquered Egypt, a person said to him, " praise be to God, O prince of the Faithful who hath sufficed thee against thy enemies, and subjugated to thee the two I'raks and the Syrian provinces and Egypt and withal thou art the descendant of the uncle of the apostle of God." Al Mamun replied,* " well said, now there is one condition still wanting to me, and that is, that I should sit in an assembly

and below me a disciple who should say ' whom didst thou mention, may the Lord be well pleased with thee ?' and I should reply—the two Hammads, Hammadrb-Salamah and Hammad-b-Zaydf narrated to me

on the authority of Anas-b-Mdlik that the prophet said, ' he who sup- porteth two daughters or three or two sisters, until they die, or he

is taken from them by death, shall be with me in Paradise like these two,' and he pointed to his fore and middle fingers. Al Khatib remarks

that there is a glaring error in this story and he supposes it probable that al Mamiin related this on the authority of some person who had it from the two Hammads, and that, because the birth of al Mamiin occurred in the year 170, and Hammad the son of Salamah died in the year 167, three years before al Mamun was born, and Hammad-b-Zayd died in the year 179." Al H4kim mentions that he was told on the authority of Muhammad- " b-Sahl-b-A'skar that he narrates as follows : Al M^mun one day stood waiting for the call to prayers and we were standing before him, when there

came up to him a stranger with an ink-horn in his hand, who said, ' O prince

of the Faithful, I am a master of tradition, devoted to it.' Al Mamun

said, ' what dost thou remember on such and such an article ?' and he could

* For oJlaJ read J'**. t Abu Ismail IjIaraindd-'b-Zayd surnamed al AzraV (blue-eyed) a native of Ba§rah who receive his knowledge from the first doctors of his age under some of whom his namesake b-Salamah studied. He held a high repute as a jurist, traditiouistand^dfidh died A. H. 179. D. Slane I. K, [ 347 ]

not mention a word about it, while al Mamdn continued, ' Husliaym A. H. 218.

told me who had it from Hajjaj, who had it from such and such a one' A. D. 833. &c., until he mentioned the article, then he questioned him on a second

article, and he could not say a word about it, and al Mamlin gave it and

then turning to his companions said, ' one of these searches for traditions for three days and then says—I am a traditionist. Give him three dirhams." " Ibn A'sakir quotes from Yahya-b-Aktham as follows : I passed a night "with al Mamun and I awoke in the middle of the night, being thirsty and

I tosfed about and al Mamun said, ' Yahya, "what is the matter with thee ?' I replied, ' I am thirsty.' He leaped up from his couch and

brought me a goglet of water. I said, ' O prince of the Faithful, wilt thou

not call a servant ? wilt thou not summon a page ? He replied, ' no my father told me on the authority of U'kbah-b-A'amir that the apostle of

God said, ' the chief of the people is their servant.*' Al Khatib mentions

a similar tradition from Yahya-b-Aktham save that he traces it up to Jarir-b-A'bdu'llah who heard the apostle of God say, " the chief of the people is their servant." Ibn A'sakir gives the ascription of a tradition through Abti Hudayfah of Bukhara and al Mamtin to Ibn A'bbas that the prophet said, " the prince of a people is of them." Muhammad-b-Kudamah states that it reached al Mamdn that Abu Hudayfah related this tradition on his authority, whereupon he ordered ten thousand dirhams to be given to him. During the reign of al Mamiin the descendants of al A'bbas were numbered and they were thirty-three thousand males and females and that in the year 200 A. H. Of people of note who died in his time were, Sufyan-b-U'aynah, the Imam as Shafi'i, A'bdu'r Eahman-b-Mahdi, Yahya-b-Sa'id al Kattan {the cotton-spinner), Yunas-b-Bukayr the historian of the wars, Abu Matii' al Balkhi the disciple of Abu Hanifah, Ma'ruf al Karkhi the devotee, Ishak- b-Bashr, author of the Kitab u'l Mubtada, Ishak-b-u'l Furat Kadhi of old Cau-o one of the most eminent of the disciples of Malik, Abu A'mr as Shaybani, the philologer, Ashhab the disciple of MaUk, al Hasan-b-Ziyad al Lultii disciple of Abu Hanifah, Hammad-b- Usaraah the Hafidh, Ruh-b- U'badah, az Zayd-b-u'l Habab, Abu Dauiid at "Tayalisi, al Ghazi-b-Kays one of Malik's disciples, Abii Sulayman ad Darani, the famous devotee, A'li ar Bidha-b-Musa al Kadhim, al Fara the great master of the Arabic language, Kutaybah-b-Mihran author of the Imalah, Kutrub the grammarian, al Wakidi, Abii U'baydah, Maa'mar-b-u'l Muthanna, an Nadhr- b-Shumayl, as Sayyidat Nafisah, Hisham, one of the grammarians of Kiifah, al Yazidi, Yazid-b-Hariin, Yakub-b-Ishak al Hadhrami the Kuran reader of Basrah, Abdur Razzak, Abii'l A'tahiyah the poet, Asad u's Sun-

* Compare Matt, xx 27 ; Luke xxii 26. [ 348 ]

A. H. 218. nat, Abu A'asim an Nabil, al Farydbi* Abdu'l Malik-b-u'l Majishdn, A'b- A, D. 833. du'Uah-b-Ti'l Hakam, Abli Zayd al An?ari the professor of Arabic philology, Al Asma'i and others.

AL MUA'TASIM BI'LLAH.

Al Mua'tasim Billah, Abd Ishak Muhammad the son of ar Eashid was born in the year 180, so says ad Dahabi, but according to as Stili, in the

year 178. His mother was a slave concubine of Kufah of foreign extraction : her name was Maridah,t and she was held in the highest favour by ar Bashid. He related traditions on the authority of his father and his brother al Mamun, and Ishak of Mosul and Hamdiin-b-Iama'il and others related them on his. He was a brave man, of great personal strength and of high spirit, but destitute of education. As Sdli relates on the authority of Ibrahim-b-Muhammad al Hashimi that there was a page studying at the same school with al Mua'tasim. The page died, and al Mua'tasim's father, ar Eashid, said to him, " Muhammad, thy page is dead." He replied, " yes, my lord, and is at rest from school." Ar Eashid exclaimed, " is this what school gets from thee ? (turning to Ms attendants) let him alone, do not teach him." " Ibrahim," he adds " therefore, used to write and to read but indifferently." Ad Dahabi says that al Mua'tasim would have beea one of the great-

est and most awe-inspiring of the Caliphs were it not for the inquisition of the learned regarding the creation of the Kuran which has left a stain upon his glory. Niftawayh and as Suli say that al Mua'tasim had many good qualities, and he was called the Octonary because he was the eighth Caliph of the house of 'Abbds, and the eighth in descent from 'Abbas, the eighth of the children of ar Eashid, succeeded to the government in the year 218, reigned eight years and eight months and eight days, his birth occurred in 178, he lived forty-eight years, his horoscope was the Scorpion

which is the eighth sign of the Zodiac, he was victorious in eight expeditions, slew eight of his enemies, left eight male and the same number of female

children, and he died in the month of Eajab I, eight nights thereof still remaining unelapsed.J Many laudable actions are ascribed to him, and

* The text has incorrectly Faryani. His name was Muljammad-b-Yusuf-b- "WAkid-b-A'bdi'llali ad Dhabbi, and he was one of the Traditionists of Bukhara. " Ibn

.Ti'l Athir."

t According to Masa'lidi, she was the daughter of Shabib : no other particular is given.

X In another account ho had also 8,000 slaves and 8 miUions of gold. :

[ 349 ] some eloquent sayings and tolerable verses, but when he was enraged, he A. H. 218. was reckless in the destruction of life. A. D. 833. Ibn Abi Dudd *says, " al Mua'tasim would put out his arm to me and

' ;' say, Abdullah ! bite my arm with all your force I would decline and he would say, ' it will not hurt me,' and I would try it, but, lo the points

of spears would make no impression upon it much less teeth." Niftawayh observes that he was one of the most powerful of men in bodily strength and would take a man's elbow between his fingers and break it. Others

remark that he was the first of the Caliphs to introduce Turks into ofiices of state. He affected to imitate the Persian monarchs and to adopt their

manners ; his Turkish slaves amounted to over ten thousand.

Ibn Tunas says that D'ibil satirized al Mua'tasim ; subsequently fearing its consequences he became terrified and fled until he reached Egypt. Afterwards he proceeded to Mauritania. The verses in which he satirized him were these

" The kings of the sons of 'Abbas in history are seven. And history doth not show us an eighth among them. So the people of the cavet in the cave were seven. On the morn they took up their abode therein and the eighth was a dog. And verily I hold their dog in greater esteem than thee, For thou art a man of sin, and it was sinless. J For verily the affairs of the people have been ruined since there ruled over them Wasif and Ashnas, and afflictions have increased. And verily I hope that there will be seen after their setting The risings of a sun through which thou mayst be straitened. And thy heart's desire is a despicable§ Turk To whom thou art a father and a mother."

He was acknowledged as Caliph in succession- to al Mamlin in the month of Eajab in the year 218. He followed the course adopted by al Mamlin in regard to questioning the people on the creation of the Kuran and continued in it to the end of his life. He wrote to the provinces on that subject, and commanded the teachers to instruct the children accordingly, and the people suffered much tribulation on that account, and he

* Not Dauud as in the text. t The seven sleepers. X Or tailless, a pun intended. In the first half of this line the Kitah u'l Aghani "^^ (art. Di'hil, fol. 18), has ^J ^«*^ t5^* ^ ts^t j. The last two lines are not in the K. A.

§ For *:'t* read *^'t* as in the MS. [ 350 ]

A. H. 218. put to death manj of the learned therefor, and he scourged the Imam A. D. 833. Ahmad-b-Hanbal whose scourging took place in the year 220. During the same, al Mua'tasim removed from Baghdad and founded Surra man raa, and this because he was solicitous to enlist Turks in his service. Wherefore he sent into Samarkand, Farghdnah and the adjacent countries to purchase them and lavished wealth upon them and clothed them in various kinds of brocade and belts of gold. And they used to gallop their horses through Baghdad and harrass the people, and the city was reduced to extremities through them. Then the people of Baghdad assembled round al Mua'tasim and said, " if thou goest not forth from among us with thy troops, we will attack thee," and he said " how will ye attack me ?" They replied " with the arrow of enchantments." He replied, " I have no power against that." And this was the cause of his

founding Surra man raa and his removal to it. In the year 223 al Mua'tasim led an expedition against the Byzantines and slaughtered* them with a great slaughter, the like of which hath not been heard of under any other Caliph. He dispersed their collected troops and ravaged their country and carried Amoriumf by the sword, massacreing therein thirty thousand and taking a like number captive. When he was engaged in the preparations for its attack, the astrologers pronounced that the aspect of the stars was sinister, and that he would be defeated,

but it proved amongst his most conspicuous victories and successes. It was upon this subject that Abu TammamJ wrote his well known poem which

runs thus :

" The sword is more truthful in prophecy than documents, In its edge, a sharpness between earnest and jest. And divination lies in the flaming fires of glittering lances Between the set battalions, not in the seven planets. Where now is their fabling—and where the predictions of the stars and all

The fictions and falsehood they fabricated ! Delusion and lying asseverations

That come not to fulfilment § when computed, nor is it strange."

Al Mua'tasim died on Thursday the 19th of Eabii' I, 227. (5

'^l*, * The MS., has («** the text ^*'^'*, but this verb does not possess the 4th conjugation. I would therefore emend as follow (* '^. t For the name and site of Amorium. See Gibbon, Cap. LII, t Abd Tamm4m ^Jtabib the celebrated poot and author of the Hamfisah. His life Tvill be found in Ibn Khali, He died at Mosal about A. H. 231 (846-6). Consult also liitab al Aghdni, Fol. 16, p. 99.

§ The MS. has CV for C^i — —

[ 351 ] is said that be exclaimed in his last sickness—" Until while they were A. H. 227. rejoicing for that which had been given to them, we suddenly laid hold on A. D. 842. them." (Kur. VI.) And when death was nigh at hand he began to say,

" artifice is exhausted and there is no evading (death)." It is related also that he began to say, " I have been taken from among this people" and it is also said that be exclaimed, " God, verily thou knowest that I fear Thee on my own account and I do not fear Thee in respect of Thyself, and I hope in Thee in respect of Thee, and I do not hope in Thee from my deserts."

Among his verses are the following " Bring my steed and be quick, page, And place the saddle and bridle upon him. Tel! the Turks that I am about to plunge into The sea of death, then let who will, arise." He had purposed marching to the uttermost parts of the west to conquer the provinces which had not come under the authority of the House of 'Abbas on account of the occupation of them by the Umayyads, for as Suli narrates that al Mua'tasim said, " the sons of Umayyah ruled and none of us had any territory and now we have authority and yet this Umayyad holds Andalusia, for them." He therefore appointed what was necessary for the expedition, and made due arrangements, but his sickness increased and he died. As Suli states that he had heard al

Mughirah-b-Muhammad observe that it was stated that kings were never gathered together at the court of any one in such numbers as in the court of al Mua'tasim, and that no monarch had ever made conquests like his, for he took prisoner the king of Adarbijan, the king of Tabaristan, the king of Astisdn, the king of Ashyasih,* the king of Parghanah, the king of Takharistan, the king of Suffah and the king of— Kabul." As Suli also states that the impression on his signet ring was " Praise be to God who hath no like." Eegarding personal accounts of al Mua'tasim, as Siili records on the authority of Ahmad al Yazidi that when al Mua'tasim had finished the building of his palace in the plain and held audience within it, the people came to him and Ishak of Mosul wrote a poem on it, the like of which in beauty no one had heard, save that he began it with these words

" hath altered and defaced thee : O mansion ! misfortune Would that I knew whatf hath aflaiicted thee !"

* The MSi has " Ashyah," wHoli is mentioned by Yakut as the name of a lofty and impregnable fort in the mountains of Yaman. Astisan and Suffah are imnoticed by him, and I have not found them in Ibn ul Athir. The text has Tukharistan but Ya^dt's authority points the word Takharistan or Takhiristan, t The MS. has (^^^ '* for is'^^. —

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